For Argument's Sake
by Isis cw
Summary: Complete! Pure ComedyRomance based on an alternate reality void of any real "Sailor Moon" ness. Extremely comical SerenaDarien relationship.
1. Prologue

"For argument's sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
  
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me, and chances are it   
doesn't belong to you either. But this story is mine alone and I   
would like to keep it that way.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, I believe an introduction should be in order.   
My name is Isis; I am the goddess of many names but in Roman   
times I was worshipped as the goddess of Art and Literature, so   
therefore Anime has become a favorite of mine. Especially Sailor   
Moon. This fan-fiction uses the characters but little else from the   
series. You'll see when you read it. By the way, yes I know   
Darien is suppose to be five years older, but it works better this   
way. They are now four years apart. Besides, I am a goddess, I   
can do what I want!  
  
This is a rather lengthy work and I have posted it all at the same   
time, basically because I hate waiting to find out an ending. But it   
is broken into chapters for your reading enjoyment. This is a   
romance, but anyone without a sense of humor is advised to leave   
now.  
  
By the way, I love e-mail! Modern inventions are so cool! Ur,   
sorry. Anyway, you may send any and all messages of love and   
endearment to the goddess by way of my alter ego, Carolyn.   
Address is at the top. Any flames... well, let's just say that it isn't   
intelligent to make a goddess mad.  
  
  
Prologue  
*@}---*  
  
  
Darien couldn't believe this. He had two finals to take tomorrow, a   
report to correct for the umpteenth time, and exactly 18 hours to do   
it in. Not to mention sleep!  
  
"No, oh no. Anything but Hurricane Serena! Please, just not   
today! I'm almost home." But inevitably, there she was, like a   
skinny blond Ping-Pong ball. Walk, skip, hop hop, giggle, laugh,   
run... run into something, mumble apology to light pole, laugh at   
herself, skip, hop hop, giggle, giggle, giggle... notice Darien.  
  
"Hey Darien!" She waved frantically to him from down the street.   
Running full tilt she dove and dodged her way through the other   
sidewalk crawlers to where he was discretely waiting for the   
intersection's light to change. "Whatcha up to?" she asked in that   
rubber-made bouncyness of hers.  
  
"Total stress melt-down," Darien answered honestly. *Maybe   
she'll feel sorry for me and just go away.*  
  
"That's because you need to get out more."  
  
*Guess not.* "I get out plenty, thank you." He shifted his   
attention back to the red walk light that was refusing to change.   
"Shouldn't you be worried about some final tests too, Meatball   
Head?" With her hair usually done up in two odangos and long   
ponytails, it did look like meatballs.  
  
"Oooh, don't call me THAT!!"  
  
The force of her wail even threw him off balance. "All right, all   
right. Geesh, don't pop a lung!"  
  
"Humph. And anyway, I only have one test left tomorrow.   
Besides, me, STUDY, no way!"  
  
"Yeah, right, dumb question." He saw the light grudgingly change   
color. His escape had arrived at last. "Well, gotta run. Good luck   
on your test. See ya!" Darien turned quickly toward the busy   
crosswalk.  
  
"See ya around, Darien. Hope you ace your finals!" And with an   
over exaggerated wave she was off.  
  
Skip, skip-CRASH!  
  
Darien froze with one step off the curb. He didn't even want to   
look. But slowly he leaned back out to see around the street post   
that was blocking his view, to see Serena sprawled out over the   
bench that had obviously gotten in her way. He could almost see   
the birds flying around her head.  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Oh!" With a little laugh she popped back to a sitting position   
next to the bench. "Gee, who put this thingy here?" She gave a   
little nervous laugh to the line of people who had stopped to stare   
at her. Her face turned a bright shade of maroon as she smoothed   
out her school uniform's skirt.  
  
"Serena, are you all right?" Darien hadn't moved from the curb   
yet.  
  
"Oh, ya!" She bounced back to her feet again. "Just a klutz-  
attack, you know me."  
  
At this point in time Darien wished he didn't know her. "Just try   
not to hurt yourself... or anyone else, OK?" he said, remembering   
exactly how many times he had been on the receiving end of her   
'attacks'. He wondered idly if she had a medical condition that   
obstructed the chemicals in her brain from functioning normally.  
  
*That would explain an awful lot.*  
  
"Sure thing, Dare. I'm way over my quota for the day anyway.   
See ya!" With that she turned and sprinted away, narrowly   
missing a traffic sign and a few defenseless pedestrians.  
  
Darien sighed and continued the last of his trek home. By all logic   
that girl should be perpetually black and blue with at least one   
broken bone at any given time. It actually amazed him how she   
could always look so unfazed by it all. It wasn't humanly   
possible! Serena had probably had a personal conversation with   
every pole, post, bench, and sidewalk obstruction in the entire city!   
Maybe he should just be thankful that she wasn't old enough to   
drive.  
  
Darien had to laugh to himself as he wandered through the   
crowded streets of Tokyo. Serena was a klutz, and a bit of a flake,   
and she probably had permanent brain damage from all the hits her   
skull took, but he liked her. Why he didn't know, but she was just   
one of those sweet, bubbly people that you couldn't help but like.   
Even though he had tried.  
  
But she had the mood-swing time of a professional schizophrenic.   
She could go from "happy-go-lucky, isn't it a great world," to fire   
department water-works in .025 seconds. He knew, he'd timed it.   
It wasn't like he enjoyed making her mad, but sometimes his   
teasing went a little over-board. He couldn't help it if he thought   
she was cute when she was arguing with him. Besides, she knew   
he didn't mean all those things, or else she wouldn't keep talking   
to him.  
  
But enough about Serena, he decided. She could wait until after   
his psychology test.  
  
  
Done. Completely and totally done! His first year in college was   
over. Darien had totally aced the Physics final, the Psychology test   
wasn't as bad as he thought, and his Western Civilization paper   
had been perfected the night before. Funny, he should have passed   
out an hour ago. But he felt as bouncy as Serena. Minus the pole   
fetish.  
  
*Odd,* he thought, *I'm almost to our usual bumping grounds and   
she's no where to be seen.* It was a rare day when the two didn't   
meet up between the college campus and his street corner. *Of   
course, this is the last day of school, her teacher was probably   
easy on her today and didn't give her detention for sleeping   
through class again.*  
  
If she got out of school at the normal time she would always miss   
him by half an hour. But again, it was rare that they didn't see   
each other. *Oh, but I bet I know where you are, Meatball Head.*  
  
Bypassing his usual crosswalk he continued down another block   
and turned the corner. The Crown Royal Arcade was Serena's   
drug of choice. She was a total video-game junky. Not to mention   
the fact that she had a crush on Andrew, one of the guys that   
worked there, and Darien's best friend. Needless to say it was the   
perfect spot to catch a now graduated ninth-grader. *Provided that   
she passed with all of those lovely C's. Besides, Andrew had to   
take that psych final this morning too, I wonder how he did.*  
  
As he walked in a sound assaulted his ears. *Serena?* Normally   
he could always tell it was her by her hysterical voice screaming at   
one of the games. "No way! I dodged that one!!" or "Die you   
stupid monster! DIE!" But this time it wasn't her voice that he   
recognized, it was her... sobs? She was crying. He could pick out   
her unique wailing anywhere. He'd seen the great flood hundreds   
of times before, but this was different. True heartfelt sobs...  
  
He found her buried in Andrew's arms shaking slightly. Andrew   
looked up at his friend with a totally helpless expression in his   
eyes, pleading with Darien to do something. "Meatball Head?" he   
asked quietly. Usually the nickname he used with her sent them   
into an argument, but this time she didn't seem to care. She looked   
up from Andrew's shoulder and Darien nearly backed away from   
her.  
  
The tear stains on her face and the utter sadness in her blue eyes   
was all wrong. They were foreign objects that shouldn't have   
belonged to her. Not her.  
  
"Darien," she whispered. The tears manifested themselves again   
in her eyes as she flung herself from Andrew's protective care to   
him.  
  
She wrapped her small arms around him so tightly that he nearly   
choked. He stood there stunned into a petrified lump. His mind   
wasn't working. The only thing he could think was that this   
wasn't right. Why was she crying?  
  
He numbly wrapped his arms around her not knowing what else to   
do. It was like she was on fire or something and he just wanted to   
put her out. His only thoughts were: *What do I do? What's   
wrong with her?*  
  
Darien looked over at Andrew with a "help-me" look on his face.   
The other just shook his head slowly. *You're a lot of help.* He   
looked down at the trembling form that was soaking the front of   
his shirt. *Well, when in doubt, ask the source.*  
  
"Serena?" No response. "Serena, what is it? Can you tell me?"   
He tried to move her back a little so he could look at her, but she   
just clung more tightly to him.  
  
*Well that didn't work.* He began to mentally analyze Serena's   
life. Everything he knew or had been told about her. More than a   
year's worth of material that he hadn't realized he knew. What   
could be wrong? This was the last day of school, she should be   
happy about that. She hates school. "Serena, what is it? Did   
something happen at school today?"  
  
She stiffened a little in his arms and slightly nodded her head into   
his shirt.  
  
School then. Maybe one of her friends was moving away. She   
was a fiercely devoted friend and something like that could   
devastate her... Another thought sprang a surprise attack on him.   
*She hates school.*  
  
"Serena... you didn't... flunk, did you?"  
  
With a little stifled cry she backed away from him enough to look   
up at him. She shook her head.  
  
"Then what happened?" he asked trying to wipe away some of   
those ugly tears.  
  
Slowly, still fighting her jagged breathing she found her voice.   
"I... flunked my... test today. ...Now... I have to... do... make-  
up work..." she broke off and smashed herself back into his chest.   
"...this summer!" she finished talking to his shirt buttons.  
  
*Make up work!! She's totally freaked out about make up work!?*   
Out of curiosity he looked down at her again. "What subject?"  
  
"Psy...chology," she sniffed.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- Words of encouragement: "If they give you ruled   
paper, write the other way." -Juan Ramón Jimenez.  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 1

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. All right, skip ahead three years. And believe me,   
three years can make a lot of difference.  
  
  
Chapter 1  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Hey Darien!"  
  
"Well if it isn't the graduate to be. I thought you finally found a   
way to fall off the face of the planet somehow, Meatball Head.   
What happened to the total arcade junky I knew? You haven't   
been there in forever." One week and counting until his   
graduation, two weeks till hers and they were still fighting like a   
couple of junior highers.  
  
Serena giggled, "Well, I guess us graduates have a lot to get done.   
But since you mentioned it, is Andrew working today?" she said   
with an evil little glint in her eye.  
  
Darien couldn't help but laugh. "He's been engaged for over a   
year now and you still haven't gotten over him have you?"  
  
She gave a hurt little pout and turned away from him. "I didn't say   
anything about anything like that. Besides, I never had the   
slightest thing for him. I don't know where you get this stuff."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I guess eyesight has its ups and downs. I could   
have just sworn that you swooned every time you saw him." With   
an innocent shrug he continued walking. "I guess I could have   
been mistaken after all."  
  
"I did not SWOON! I just felt a little light headed sometimes," she   
added quietly.  
  
Darien busted out laughing.  
  
"What?!"  
  
He leaned over a nearby bench unable to catch his breath. Serena   
just stood there looking angrier by the minute. Finally he managed   
to stop himself enough to talk. "I'm sorry, Serena…(He He)…It's   
just that…(Ha)… well, you know…" he broke off again into   
laughter again until his eyes threatened to start watering.  
  
By this time Serena had had quite enough of his sense of humor.   
"Well, you can just laugh all you want. Maybe I was in a fantasy   
world when I liked Andrew, but you don't have to always bring it   
up!" Darien had stopped laughing, noticing immediately that he'd   
crossed the line again. And he'd been doing so good lately.  
  
"Hold on, Meat—"  
  
"And I suppose you never did the same thing when you were   
younger. Oh, of course not! The great and powerful Darien Chiba   
never had a problem like that!" She was nearly at the brink of   
tears now. "Well, you know what? I don't care what you think!   
Why should I? You're egotistical, and conceited, and a jerk!"  
  
Now, Darien was really not laughing. Even at his usual teasing   
and torment, she never blew up like this. He walked toward her   
trying to reach out to her and stop this before it was too late. But   
she back away from him and continued yelling.  
  
"You know, you'd probably have a little more sympathy if you'd   
ever gone through something like that. But you haven't!" The   
first of her tears were rolling down over her checks now. "And the   
reason you haven't is because no girl in her right mind would ever   
date a jerk like you!!"  
  
That hit home. Darien paused in his pursuit of her unable to   
believe what he had just heard.  
  
"Never in the five years I've known you have you ever been   
serious about a girl. And I know why! No one would put up with   
you!!" He stood there unable to move or think as she stepped up   
close to him and looked him right in the eye. "So don't expect ME   
to put up with you either!!"  
  
With a flip of her hair she ran off down the street still crying.  
  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Hi, Andrew! The new Sailor V video game in yet?" she asked as   
her and four friends entered the arcade.  
  
"No, it's not. Next week I think," Andrew answered taking a   
quick look over the group. The usual: Mina, bouncy as Serena   
and a dead ringer for a beauty queen; Lita, tall strong and the best   
cook he'd ever known; Ami, the brains of the group but a little on   
the shy side; and Rei, always the firery take charge type. There   
probably wasn't a common thread running through any of them,   
but somehow they were still friends.  
  
"Bummer. Well, guess we'll have to take on the old ones! Watch   
out villains, here I come!!"  
  
Andrew just shook his head and continued on with his duties. He   
was surprised to find Serena tapping his shoulder a few minutes   
later. "I thought you were out killing off all the evil in the world,"   
he joked.  
  
She didn't seem to find it all that funny. "I need to talk to you,   
Andrew. Do you have a minute?"  
  
OK, now something was wrong. Serena didn't blow off a video   
game for anything, least of all to just talk to someone. This was   
serious and he knew it. "I've got time. What's the mater?"  
  
She sat down on a stool in front of one of the games and didn't   
raise her eyes to meet his when she started. "Have you talked to   
Darien lately?"  
  
"No, I haven't seen him in a couple days. But he has finals to get   
through this week, he's probably just busy." This wasn't good.   
Why would she be this upset and then ask about Darien? Unless…   
"Why do you ask? Did something happen?"  
  
Her shoulders slumped noticeably. "Darien and I kinda… had a   
fight," she said flatly.  
  
"You and Darien always have fights. What's different about this   
one?"  
  
She looked up at him and he could tell that this wasn't something   
he was just going to smooth over. There was real regret in her   
eyes and something else he couldn't quiet place.  
  
"This was different," she said softly, looking back down at her   
hands again. "I really said something to him that I shouldn't   
have… I think I really hurt him," she barely managed to make   
herself heard.  
  
Andrew pulled up a stool next to her and sat down. "The two of   
you have said a lot of things to each other over the years. But   
neither of you ever seemed to really take it to heart, Serena. That's   
what's kept you guys from killing each other. You always knew   
the other wasn't serious. Especially Darien. I'm sure he knows   
that you didn't mean it." Somehow Andrew didn't think his words   
were working. "What did you say anyway?"  
  
She turned her face away from him even farther. "Something   
totally stupid and completely untrue." She swallowed hard. "I   
didn't mean to hurt him. We were just having one of those little   
fights of ours and, well…" Her voice broke as she tried to fight   
back the tears again. "I totally blew up for no reason! I mean I   
should have just laughed along like always, but for some reason I   
just didn't. Maybe all this stress is getting to me. I don't know   
what I was thinking. I just got mad at him for being so insensitive.   
But, I mean this is Darien, I should have expected that. And I had   
to go off and say…" she paused, "I didn't mean it," she whispered.  
  
"Serena," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tried to   
calm her down. "I'm sure it's not that bad. You two have argued   
about everything from ice cream to the weather. And I know that   
it's going to take something a lot more than this to keep you away   
from each other's throats." He lifted her face up to look at him.   
"Now, if you're still worried about this why don't you just go talk   
to him? I'm sure he'll tell you all of this himself. Then you won't   
have anything to worry about, OK?" Deep inside Andrew really   
hoped it would be that easy.  
  
A little smile crept onto her face. "Yeah, I'll just go apologize.   
Gee, why didn't I think of that?" She knocked herself on the head   
lightly and giggled. "Thanks Andrew, you're a lifesaver," she   
hopped up from the stool and headed for the door. "And a cherry   
one, too!!"  
  
  
The hallway outside of Darien's apartment was dark. Of course it   
didn't help that it was dark outside by now. Eight blocks. It had   
taken her an hour to walk the eight blocks to his building. Not to   
mention the fifteen minutes of pacing in front of the elevator trying   
to work up the nerve to even get in and go up to his floor.  
  
This is silly she told herself. Serena had been in his apartment   
hundreds of times. Usually when he'd volunteered to help her out   
with some school work. She laughed thinking about the summer   
she'd had to make up all of those psychology projects. Darien and   
Andrew had really helped her out. Without them she would never   
have passed that course.  
  
It seemed like every time she had a problem they were always   
there. Especially Darien. Sure they fought constantly, but they   
were also friends. Although neither one would ever admit it. He   
always seemed to be there, no mater what. He was the only one   
who gave her any usable advice when she started dating… (what   
was his name?)… "Just relax and be yourself," he'd said. "After   
all, he's going to find out you're a flake sooner or later. It might as   
well be up front."  
  
*Wait a minute, what kind of advice is that?! Why did I remember   
that of all things?*  
  
But aside from the comics he really had always been there when   
she needed him. Like when both of her steady boyfriends had   
dumped her. Darien had been the first one to comfort her both   
times. Or what about the car accident that she and Ami had been   
in. A bump on her forehead had landed her in the hospital two   
days for observation. Darien had come by five times to make sure   
she was OK. And even out of her family and friends, he was the   
only one who seemed to really know how she was feeling.  
  
Even when she tried to hide her emotions from everyone, he'd   
always known. Just like this thing with Andrew. She never told   
anyone… well, she told her friends later, but Darien had always   
known. He'd seen it the first time he saw the two of them together,   
he'd told her once.  
  
Somehow, he just knew her, inside and out. Understood her.  
  
*So why am I pacing in front of his door like a criminal with a   
death sentence?!*  
  
But she knew exactly why she was out here. She was scared.   
Scared that what she'd said to him had hurt him as much as she   
thought it had. She'd looked into his eyes with that last comment   
and she'd seen it. Pain. Something that she'd never seen in his   
eyes before. She was scared that she wouldn't be able to make this   
up to him. She was scared that he wouldn't forgive her. She was   
scared that he'd hate her.  
  
She was scared that she'd lose him.  
  
Whether she ever admitted it or not, he was a friend to her. More   
than a friend maybe. He was the one person in the whole world   
that she could say anything to and he would always know what to   
do or say to make it right. *No, not anything. I should never have   
said what I did to him. That was completely inexcusable. How   
can I blame him if he doesn't forgive me?*  
  
*I can't. But I have to try to make it right.*  
  
She stopped walking and took a deep breath. Bravely she reached   
up and knocked on the door. And even managed to resist the urge   
to take off running. She heard soft footsteps inside and her heart   
jumped into her throat in fear. Before she could calm her nerves   
enough to talk the door flew open and she was presented with…  
  
A middle aged woman wearing a red flowered bathrobe and curlers   
in her hair.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked harshly eyeing the teenager   
outside of her door.  
  
Serena stood there dumb struck. She managed to look from her to   
the number on the door. In the light coming from inside the   
apartment she could see it more clearly. 925.  
  
"Oops! Silly me. Wrong apartment! Uh—Sorry about that." She   
didn't take the time to explain any more as she ran for the elevator.   
As she hit the up arrow she heard the woman shutting the door and   
mumbling something about all the teenagers around here being on   
drugs.  
  
Serena let out a breath and began laughing to herself. She really   
was a meatball head. How could she have gotten the floor number   
wrong? Oh, well, just another exciting adventure in the life of a   
schizophrenic.  
  
She hopped into the elevator and pushed the button for the next   
floor. It seemed like an incredibly show journey for only one floor   
and by the time the elevator had deposited her on the right floor,   
she wasn't sure she wanted to get off. She stared at the open   
elevator doors as if they were the gates of hell itself, and she   
wasn't moving. Quietly the doors closed themselves as if giving   
up on her.  
  
"Maybe I'll come back tomorrow," she reasoned to the gray doors.   
"After all, he may be asleep or something."  
  
*Yeah, right. A college student asleep at eight o'clock! Just who   
are you trying to kid here?*   
  
"Myself" she answered out loud.  
  
*Well it's not working so get moving!*  
  
Serena punched the 'door open' button and stepped out into the   
hall. Apartment 1025, no mistaking it this time. *What's that   
saying? Don't open till Doom's Day.*  
  
  
At eight o'clock on the night before his last final exam Darien was   
certainly not sleeping. But for that matter he wasn't going over all   
of those notes from his organic chemistry class either. He couldn't   
concentrate on anything. Well, anything except Serena.  
  
He had gone too far with his teasing, he knew that. But the way   
she blew up wasn't like her. *She has finally gotten sick and tired   
of you and she hates you. What did you expect from her? She is   
graduating and moving on with her life and she certainly doesn't   
need you in it!*  
  
What else could he do? He had seen a real anger in her eyes and   
the way she told him off had really hurt. Not because of what she   
had said, but because it was coming from her. Because he knew he   
had brought in on himself. And because he didn't know how to get   
her back.  
  
The night air was warm with summer coming on and the city lights   
were coming on in full force now. He had no idea how long he   
had been standing out on the balcony before he heard a knock at   
the door.  
  
His heart caught in his throat. *It couldn't be…*  
  
He ran back inside and stopped in front of the door. Could he have   
just imagined the knock? After all, the balcony's door was in his   
bedroom on the other side of the apartment.  
  
He slowly opened the door… and there was no one there. "I am   
imagining things," he mumbled, closing the door again. He leaned   
his back against it and closed his eyes. *That chemistry test isn't   
going to get easier because you aren't studying.*  
  
He pushed himself from the door and headed to his desk. Two   
steps into the motion he heard a light tapping on it. Even the small   
sound was enough to make him jump and spin to the door. He   
opened it without thinking.  
  
The sight would have been quite comical if he would have felt like   
laughing. Serena stood there frozen with her hand still raised in a   
fist staring in surprise at the quick response.  
  
"Serena?" was all Darien could manage.  
  
"Oh," she managed to compose herself. "Uh, hi, Darien." She   
was talking to the hall's red carpeting as if her words were written   
on it like a cheat sheet.  
  
"I'm sorry, Serena," Darien didn't exactly know what he was sorry   
for, but it was the only thing coming out of his mouth. "Come in,   
please." Half of him expected her to throw the invitation back in   
his face and tell him that the only reason that she came by was to   
tell him that she never wanted to see him again. Crazy as it   
sounds, it would be something Serena would do.  
  
"Thanks." She looked up at him and there was something in her   
eyes…  
  
She walked in and quickly plunged into her conversation. "I'm   
sorry to bug you. I mean I'm sure you have tons of work to do.   
What with finals and all you have to be really busy. Or, gee, I   
didn't wake or anything did I? You don't have any lights on, were   
you sleeping? I'm sorry Darien, I should just come back some   
other time. You probably don't want to see me here anyway. I'm   
sorry to bug you." She made a mad dash for the doorknob before   
Darien could grab her.  
  
"Serena, wait." She paused with the door halfway open. "You're   
not bugging me at all. I was out on the balcony. It's really nice   
out tonight." What could he say? She was way too nervous, and   
he didn't like it one bit.  
  
"Oh, yeah, it is nice isn't it?" She reluctantly closed the door.  
  
"Yeah, I needed a break from chemistry," he lied.  
  
"Is that your only test tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah, just that one left."  
  
"That's good."  
  
They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. The things that really   
wanted to be said just didn't come. *When was the last time we've   
ever not been able to find something to say to each other?* Darien   
thought, but he couldn't remember a single time. They had always   
had something to say. And if there wasn't they'd be arguing about   
something. But there was no way he was going to start an   
argument now. Not after what just happened. *You were just   
moping that she was never going to speak to you again, and now   
she's here so tell her you're sorry and get it over with!*  
  
"Serena"—"Darien" both of them chimed in at the same time.  
  
"No, Darien, please let me say this before you…" she trailed off   
before she got her nerve and her speed back. "Darien, I know you   
have to hate me for what I said. And I can't blame you for it. And   
if you never want to see me again, I understand perfectly. But I   
have to say I'm sorry. I really don't know what happened. I just   
went off and I—it wasn't your fault. I don't even have an excuse.   
I mean I just totally snapped and I said…that, and, and I'm sorry,   
Darien. I never meant it. Please believe me. I never meant to hurt   
you. I don't even know why I said that. It was so untrue; I don't   
even know how I could say something like that to you. I'm so, so,   
so sorry, Darien…" she melted off as tears started down her   
checks.  
  
Darien couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was apologizing   
for what he did.  
  
"Serena, stop, its—"  
  
"I know, I'll go. I'm sorry but I had to tell you. I'll just—" she   
moved for the door but he got to it before she did.  
  
"Serena, please, listen to me." He gently laid his hands on her   
shoulders and talked directly to the top of her head. "There isn't   
anything for you to be sorry for. I went too far and you had every   
right to snap at me. I can't blame you if you've had enough of me   
always being so rude to you. I know I over do it a lot. You just   
got fed up with it. It was my fault, I never should have said   
anything like that to you. I'm sorry, Serena… I'm sorry."  
  
He was deadly serious and his voice fell to just a whisper. He had   
to make her see that this was his fault and he had to get her to   
forgive him. He just had to.  
  
"No," she snapped her head up to look at him at his last words. "I   
just overreacted. It was my fault—"  
  
"Serena, if I hadn't been so mean to you, you never would have   
went off like that—"  
  
"I shouldn't have anyway. I knew you didn't mean anything by it.   
It was just like always—"  
  
"That's what I mean, I'm always like this to you and—"  
  
"And it's perfectly normal. That's just the way we are—"  
  
"But you don't deserve—"  
  
"You didn't deserve what I said to you!" There was a finality in   
her voice that Darien wasn't going to keep arguing with. Instead,   
he laughed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You realize we're arguing about our argument, right?" he slipped   
his arms around her waist.  
  
"Huh? Oh!"  
  
"I think maybe we were both guilty on this one." Serena was   
about to protest, but she smiled instead. Somehow it didn't seem   
that important anymore.  
  
"I guess you're right." She looked up at him again with a light in   
her eyes. "Does that mean if I forgive you, you have to forgive   
me?"  
  
Darien smiled down at her. She might be eighteen but she seemed   
a lot like that fourteen-year-old he had met so long ago. "I guess   
that's how it works."  
  
"Good!" She wrapped him in huge bear hug that nearly cracked a   
couple ribs.  
  
He leaned down and snuggled his chin between the two   
"meatballs" she still wore on top of her head. He swore to himself   
that he wouldn't let this happen again. Even if it was their nature   
to argue constantly.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Courage faces fear and masters it. Cowardice   
represses fear and is thereby mastered by it" -Martin Luther King,   
Jr.  
@}--- "Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting   
into situations where you need it" -Doug Larson.  
  
  



	3. Chapter 2

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: Happy events are the ones that stick in our minds,   
even if tears still come. Everyone needs a good cry now and then.   
And we need someone to wipe those tears away too…  
  
  
Chapter 2  
*@}---*  
  
  
Darien sat on what had to be the hardest excuse for a chair that he   
had ever had the displeasure of using. With a graduating class of   
12,872 his ceremony last week hadn't lasted this long. Andrew sat   
on his left side yawning and trying his best to keep from nodding   
off. His fiancée Rita sat next to him and kept jabbing him in the   
side with each yawn.  
  
Rei Hino, one of Serena's friends sat on the other side of him.   
Since she attended a private school across town she came to watch   
their graduation before attending her own later in the afternoon.   
But at the rate this was going, she wasn't going to make it. She   
was constantly looking at her watch to check the time. Knowing   
her usual temperament, Darien was surprised she hadn't walked up   
to the school principal and throttled the man to death yet.  
  
Beside Rei sat her friend, and as Serena put it 'unconfirmed   
boyfriend,' Chad. It was kind of hard to tell whether he was awake   
or not. Underneath the bush of brown hair Darien figured he was   
probably already asleep.  
  
Most of the special awards had already been presented. He was   
happy to note that Ami had received Valedictorian, and her   
boyfriend Greg and come up with Salutatorian. Somehow he   
wondered just how long the poor teachers had to crunch numbers   
in order to get a winner between those two.  
  
They had finally begun the long recitation of the names as the   
diplomas were handed out. After each student came forward there   
was a general clapping from the audience. It was rather comical to   
watch as each student walked forward. Darien could pick out   
which parents and group of friends belonged to each student.   
There was the general louder clapping from the parents and the   
occasional whistles from the friends.  
  
Darien realized that Serena and her friends would have been the   
only ones in the audience that had done the same for him. With   
both of his parents dead, the few close friends he had were the only   
ones there for him. Not to mention that most of those friends, like   
Andrew, had been on that stage with him.  
  
*Wait! That was a 'T' name! Serena's up soon!*  
  
"Jocella Tebae." Clap, clap, clap…  
  
"Serena Tsukino."  
  
"Whaahoo!!" Darien and Andrew jumped up at the same time.   
Rita and Rei clapped excitedly as they had for their other friends,   
but remained seated. Chad woke up.  
  
But the two couldn't help themselves. This was Serena! Meatball   
Head! The one person in the whole world that no one had ever   
thought would graduate! At least not on time anyway. This was   
the girl that they had spent so much time with. Helping her   
through tough subjects and re-explaining Algebra problems. The   
girl that couldn't remember the difference between oxygen and   
salt, but could memorize a Sailor V video game in two rounds.  
  
*My little Meatball Head finally did it!*  
  
Serena walked calmly to the front and took the blue book in her   
hand with a huge smile across her face. As the she turned to take   
her place with the others she took a look back to the two young   
men standing in the back row clapping wildly. She laughed as she   
took her place in the line-up.  
  
*Hey, she didn't even trip up the stairs! Maybe there's hope for   
you yet!*  
  
Once the final names had been called and the last congratulations   
had been given, the class filed down the steps to the waiting   
audience. Darien, Andrew and Rita hung back in order not to be   
trampled by the departing crowd. Rei and Chad were the first ones   
out the door in order to get her to her own school in time to   
prepare.  
  
Parents finally began to leave the building so that the class could   
take their final pictures and leave. Still bunched in a group,   
Serena, Mina, Lita, Ami and Greg came running for the three older   
students in the back. Hugs and congratulations were exchanged   
quickly as the photographer's camera equipment was set up.  
  
"I have to say I'm proud of you, Meatball Head," Darien said when   
she hopped up to throw her arms around his neck.  
  
"I have to say I'm proud of me too," she giggled. "But you owe   
me ten bucks!"  
  
"I what?" he said confused.  
  
"You bet me two years ago during that Algebra II fiasco that I   
would never graduate. So pay up!"  
  
Darien laughed and smiled down at her. "I always said you had a   
good memory if you just used it."  
  
"No, you said I had the memory of an ameba."  
  
"I never said that," Darien cringed. He had been trying so hard to   
not get the two of them into another argument, but the past was the   
past. "Well, I say now that you have a good memory."  
  
"Yeah well, I'm using it now! I want my money!" She pouted at   
him until he nodded. "Good. Now, you're going to Rei's   
graduation too right?"  
  
"Only if someone promises that it won't be this long!"  
  
"I know, Mr. Deetson got a little long winded."  
  
"Long winded! The man was going to put himself to sleep!"  
  
She giggled and then noticed Mina tugging on her gown. "Come   
on Serena, picture time!"  
  
"OK." She turned back to Darien. "We'll meet you guys at Rei's   
school in a half an hour! Byeeeeeee!"  
  
Darien watched her sprint up to the stage again then shooed   
Andrew and Rita towards the door. "What's the hurry," Andrew   
asked, "we've got a half and hour."  
  
"I need to pick up something."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"A bet I lost."  
  
  
Rei's graduation was much shorter. Darien wondered idly if Rei's   
speaker had been at the other ceremony too. As her senior class   
president Rei wrote and presented a lovely poem to the audience as   
her farewell to the class and school. Serena sat beside him   
sniffling quietly. She had gone through a whole box of tissues   
during her own and now she was trying it again.  
  
When Rei's name was called Serena, Mina and Lita stood up and   
whistled. Chad and Rei's grandfather also stood up and cheered.   
Darien could see the hot blush rise to Rei's cheeks when she   
looked back to see the commotion. Something told him they were   
in for one of her temper tantrums when she got them out of public   
view.  
  
Afterwards the group waited for Rei outside talking about future   
plans and the summer ahead. Darien quietly managed to drag   
Serena out of the center of attention back towards the cars.   
"Where are we going?" she asked looking back over her shoulder.  
  
"I have something for you."  
  
"A present! Really! Oh, Darien, what is it? You didn't have to   
get me anything. After all, I didn't get you anything. Oh, now I   
feel bad."  
  
He just laughed and continued towards the parking lot. "In all   
truth I wasn't going to get you anything either, but I just thought of   
it. It isn't much."  
  
"Oh, what is it? You know I can't stand not knowing. Come on,   
tell me!!"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
She pouted for a minute and then grabbed hold of his arm and   
started a jog towards his car. "Well hurry up then. The suspense is   
killing me!!"  
  
Once they reached his car he made Serena close her eyes and wait   
until he got it out. He painstakingly made sure he took his time   
unlocking the door and retrieving the item.  
  
"You're doing this to me on purpose, aren't you?" she asked.  
  
"Doing what," he said innocently.  
  
"Being so SLOW! If you don't hurry up I'm going to go find it   
myself!!"  
  
"All right, all right. Don't get your blood pressure up." He stood   
beside her and held the object just in front of her closed lashes.   
"Here."  
  
Serena stood impatiently waiting to open her eyes. She couldn't   
believe that Darien would get her a gift. But he always was   
incredibly sweet. *Wait a minute. Never in your life have you   
ever called Darien sweet!* *Well, I'm calling him sweet now   
OK!* *I'm arguing with myself! Darien how do you always   
manage to do this to me?!*  
  
"Here," he finally said.  
  
She popped her eyes open and her mouth dropped open a split   
second later. Before her eyes was a beautiful white rose. Nothing   
fancy, just a single long stem rose captured in its own private   
beauty. A small water vase was placed on the end in order to keep   
it from drying out.  
  
Its perfect white blossom reminded her of simple elegance. White;   
that was the color of friendship. Slowly she took the flower in her   
own hands and felt its soft petals. It was exactly the type of gift   
she would expect from Darien. Something simple, but beautiful   
and with a special meaning behind it.  
  
Tears gathered themselves in her eyes for the hundredth time   
today. That was when she noticed it. Tied carefully to the step of   
the rose with a gold ribbon was a ten-dollar bill. He had been good   
for that bet after all!  
  
She burst out laughing when she saw it. The tears taking that   
chance to spring forward. She turned to him laughing and crying   
at the same time. "Thank you!" was all she could say. She hopped   
up on her toes and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
He chuckled into her hair and hugged her back. "If I'd known you   
were going to go all mushy on me I would have just given you the   
money."  
  
"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I can't help it. It's beautiful. Thank you   
Darien. Thank you for everything…" She trailed off as more tears   
spilled over.  
  
He noticed the change in emotions and held her a little tighter.   
"Come on, Serena. This is suppose to be one of the happiest days   
of your life. What in the world are you crying for?" He picked her   
chin up and forced her to look at him. "You've graduated. On   
time even! And you have your whole life to regret ever having to   
leave high school. So stop moping and lets see that smile of   
yours."  
  
He began smudging the tears off her face and she couldn't help but   
smile. No mater what, he always knew how to get one out of her.   
"Thank you," she whispered again, meaning it whole-heartedly.  
  
"Your welcome," was his only response.  
  
  
Two boxes of tissues and counting. Serena had had a full month to   
restock on the tears before Andrew's wedding date. Andrew and   
Rita both looked radiant and unbelievably happy. They had stared   
into each other's eyes as Rita made her way down the aisle to his   
side. Before the wedding march began she thought Andrew was   
going to pass out in the front of the church he looked so nervous.   
She had seen Darien, who was of course his best man, lean over   
and whisper something in his ear. Andrew laughed and finally   
seemed to start breathing normally again.  
  
Serena could just imagine what he had said. "Don't look so stiff,   
this is your wedding not your funeral." Yeah, that would be   
Darien all right, bad puns and all.  
  
But she had to admit that she had never seen the two look as   
handsome as they did now. She barely heard a word as the vows   
were repeated and the rings exchanged. She noted that Rita began   
crying as well when she made her promise of love.  
  
It all passed by much too quickly. Once it was over and the priest   
had named them man and wife the words "you may kiss the bride"   
were the only ones left to say. Andrew leaned forward and kissed   
her as tenderly as possible. The sight only brought more tears to   
her red-rimmed eyes. The whole thing was just too much for her   
little heart to take.  
  
She tried desperately to control herself as the church burst into   
applause while the newly weds made there way down the aisle,   
followed closely by Darien and the maid of honor. It was all she   
could do to stare after them with a tissue still in hand.  
  
Rei, who had been sitting beside her, tapped her on the shoulder   
and not so politely told her to get moving. She hadn't even noticed   
the others leaving the pew and heading for the reception line in the   
back of the church. After waiting for the throng of people to   
dissipate she managed to reach them.  
  
"Congratulations," she mumbled as she hugged Rita. It was all she   
could say.  
  
Rita laughed and quickly hugged her back. "Thank you Serena.   
I'm not sure I've ever been this happy!"  
  
Serena laughed with her and moved over to Andrew. She didn't   
even manage to get out 'congratulations', but instead just burst into   
tears again and threw her arms around his neck. He laughed and   
hugged her back. "Come on Serena, it's not that bad is it?" he   
asked.  
  
She shook her head and mumbled a "sorry" under her breath.  
  
Still laughing he turned around and said, "Hey, Darien. I think   
Serena's have a nervous break down again."  
  
"So what else is new," he said as he came up to them. She hadn't   
even noticed him standing there with the other members of the   
wedding party. He took her arm and steered out of the receiving   
line and back to a less populated area of the church. "So how   
many trees have you killed off today?" he asked noting the small   
package of Kleenexes still in her hands.  
  
She laughed and tried again to push away the tears that kept   
coming. "I only killed one so far. I had them make these really   
thin," she said.  
  
"Yeah, they don't look like they're working very well." He   
smudged away some of the watery scars from her face. "Come on,   
Serena, you're suppose to be happy. This is a wedding, not a   
funeral."  
  
She couldn't help but laugh again at the silly joke, but as she did   
more of the rebellious tears leaked out. They didn't escape his   
notice. He gently pulled her into a hug and just let her cry a   
minute. "You know, you're the only person I know that never   
seems to run out of tears. I don't see how you keep from   
dehydrating yourself into a pretzel when you're upset."  
  
She laughed and managed to look up at him. He again tried to   
wipe them away "Am I going to have to start feeding you crackers   
to get you to dry up here or what?"  
  
She continued laughing and her tears subsided. "Well, how about   
some rice? We've got plenty of that lying around." He took a   
small bag that had been set out for the guess to take outside with   
them while they waited for the bride and groom. "Here, open up."   
He started pelting her with rice from the bag.  
  
"Hey! Stop it. That hurts! Darien!!"  
  
Still laughing hysterically, the two stumbled outside.  
  
  
The reception and dinner had been perfect and Serena had even   
managed to keep herself from shortening the life span of another   
tree. And considering she was under Darien's threat of pouring   
salt down her throat if she started in again, that was a good thing.   
She couldn't help but laugh as Darien stood up and clanked a   
spoon to his glass. Of course that didn't do much good   
considering it was plastic along with everyone else's. Seeing that   
his attempts had very little success, he took Andrew's wineglass   
which had been set up specially for the couple. He received a   
much better response using that.  
  
Serena knew what was coming. She had helping him write this   
speech last week.  
  
He pulled a folded paper out of his jacket pocket, cleared his throat   
rather loudly, and began. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury—  
err—distinguished guests. (General chuckling.) We are gathered   
here tonight to pay tribute to the love shared between this man and   
woman. If anyone else can come up with a better reason for us to   
be here, speak now or forever hold your peace. (General   
groaning.) We have come to see this perfect couple mark the   
beginning of their lives together. To watch this warm, open,   
loving man take—" He stops, looks down at the couple to his right   
and shuffles the papers in his hands. "Wait. Wrong wedding.   
(Laughter.) OK! Andrew and I have been friends since grade   
school so I think I can speak with some authority on how he is   
feeling at this moment. He is feeling like he has to be the luckiest   
man on Earth. And quite frankly I'll have to agree with him.   
(Smiles from Rita's family members.) He is feeling that he could   
never love someone else this much again in his life. And he is   
wondering how this beautiful, sweet woman beside him could   
possibly love him the same way. Again, I agree with him. How he   
ever ended up with Rita is beyond me. (Laughter.) So till death do   
they part. Or until that love potion he slipped her three years ago   
finally wears off. May they live happily ever after. Cheers!"  
  
There was a chorus of 'cheers' around the room and the tinkling of   
plastic cups. Darien raised his glass in Serena's direction in a   
silent salute to her help. She smiled and did the same before   
Andrew, not so gently, hit him in the arm for it. She laughed at   
herself. It had taken them a full day to write that short little   
speech. A full day's worth of shared memories. None of which   
were deemed politically correct enough to include in the   
presentation but they made for some good laughs at their friend's   
expense.  
  
Once the conversations had drawn to a close, the guesses were   
ushered into the ballroom of the rented dance hall. The music was   
already playing and the lights were slowly lowered as couples   
made their way onto the floor. Serena's group of friends slowly   
pealed off two at a time. Lita and her boyfriend Ken had been the   
first ones to take on the music. Greg had finally gotten the nerve,   
after a few painful kicks to the shin from Serena, to ask Ami to   
dance, which she shyly accepted. Chad had even managed to guild   
Rei out of the sitting area. That left only Mina and her to sit by   
and watch. And somehow she wasn't too sure how long that   
would last. Mina seemed to have an admirer that was sloooowwly   
making his way closer.  
  
Serena finally gave up and told her to go start up a conversation   
with the guy standing awkwardly next to the railing beside them.   
Mina, not being the type to pass up any challenge in the love   
department, departed as well.  
  
Sitting alone in the shadows she watched the happy couples   
spinning across the floor. The colored lights reflected happy faces   
and loving gazes. She noticed Andrew and Rita locked in each   
other's arms near the front. Greg and Ami were off to one side   
talking quietly while they danced. Chad and Rei seemed to have   
run out of things to say and simply stayed comfortably close. Lita   
and Ken were near the center of the floor laughing and talking   
merrily. Even Mina and her new found interest seemed to be   
having a good time spinning around playfully.  
  
It wasn't fair, why was she the only one that couldn't get a date if   
her life depended on it? Didn't her senior prom go the same way?   
She could even see Darien dancing with Rita's maid of honor.   
One of those ceremonial things she assumed. He had told her   
before that he had only met her a few times. Apparently she had   
been Rita's roommate in college and best friend for years.  
  
*Well, no one left but me,* she thought. She didn't bother to ask   
any one else to dance. And she didn't look around enough to   
notice the two devotees staring at her from opposite corners of the   
hall.  
  
She didn't notice. But Darien did.  
  
From the middle of the dance floor it was a lot easier to spot them.   
And there weren't just two. He chuckled as he noticed that nearly   
every man in the room held a mystified, overwhelmed or just plain   
awestruck expression whenever their eyes caught hold of her.   
Although, no one seemed to have the courage to approach the   
lovely figure sitting alone and half-hidden in the shadows.  
  
His poor little Meatball Head seemed so lost with out her friends   
surrounding her. Once the dance was over he excused himself   
from—crumbs, what was her name again? He'd been forgetting it   
all night. Oh well, he'd ask later.  
  
He took a quick glance over the crowd. Yep, same two still   
staring. Then there was a husband and father of two just getting a   
slap upside the head by one perturbed wife. Girlfriend across the   
room still couldn't figure out what 'honey-muffin' was staring at.   
Group of three (dateless) guys that had just entered kept elbowing   
each other. And one little princess that didn't notice any of it.  
  
*And she wondered why no one had the guts to ask her to prom.*   
He quickly slipped over to the sitting area along the sides of the   
dance floor and came up behind her. He snagged a rose off of an   
unoccupied table. Granted it was fake and just part of the   
decorations, but the white silk petals looked good enough.  
  
He slowly walked up behind her, and leaning over, holding the   
blossom in front of her. She jumped as it invaded her thoughts and   
spun around to find out who held it. Seeing Darien she gave him a   
sour look for scaring her. He smiled and again held the rose out to   
her. "May I have the honor of a dance with you, fair maiden?" he   
asked with a bow.  
  
She laughed at him, and took the flower. Looking up at him   
sweetly she extending her hand. "I would be delighted, sir."  
  
He pulled her to her feet and escorted her to the floor, making as   
big a production out of it as possible. He rather enjoyed all of the   
evil looks he was getting from half the room's occupants. Casually   
checking on her two most adamant admirers he suddenly became   
afraid of going out to the parking lot alone and unarmed.  
  
He realized he had probably just killed Serena's chances of being   
picked up by Mr. Right tonight, but somehow, he kind of enjoyed   
this. So sue him if he didn't mind being seen with the one girl in   
the room that was trying to outshine the bride herself. Besides, he   
wanted background checks on those two other guys anyway.  
  
He pulled her to a side of the floor where they could still make   
themselves heard over the music and crowd noise. She looked   
over at the destined couple and giggled. "I'm really happy for   
those two, you know."  
  
"Yeah. I know." Darien wrapped his arms around her waist and   
she slipped hers easily around his neck. He immediately noticed at   
least a two inch height difference and looked down at her shoes.   
Sure enough he could just make out little white heels gracing her   
feet under the long dress.  
  
She looked at him curiously. "What?" she asked.  
  
"I thought you fell over every time you wore heels."  
  
She giggled and poked him with the stem of the rose she still held   
in her hands. "That was years ago. I'm getting better at it now,"   
she smiled. "And it's a good thing. I'm bound to be this short   
forever. I'm going to need some heels to keep up with people like   
you!"  
  
It was true. Meatballs included she only managed to brush his   
chin. "I kind of like you short. You're easier to pick on when I'm   
bigger than you," he said gently. The last thing he wanted to do   
was start an argument with her again. Especially one like the last   
one, which it seemed was never far from his mind.  
  
"Like you'll ever have that problem."  
  
He was relieved that she didn't take that the wrong way. He had   
spent the last month on eggshells around her. He knew it was silly.   
Everything should have been just fine between them after their   
apologies, but he still had those nagging feelings that he had   
caused that outburst. He didn't want it to happen again.  
  
They danced in silence a while just listening to the music and   
moving along. He looked down as she slipped one of her arms   
from his neck. She began to rearrange his boutonniere, which had   
decided to droop to one side. But with one hand she couldn't get it   
to stay put.  
  
"Humph," she said to herself. She stopped and reached up with   
both hands to remove the pin that held it in place. "Here, hold this   
will you?" she asked mindlessly handing him her rose. He took it   
and she continued to fiddle with the flower.  
  
"Just don't stab me with that thing OK," he said knowing just how   
clumsy she could be sometimes. OK, most of the time.  
  
"Oh, a little blood never killed anyone," she mumbled while   
holding the pin in her mouth and trying to arrange the piece right.  
  
"You've never seen 'Attach of the Killer Hat Pin' before have   
you?"  
  
She laughed and finally pushed the pin back in and frowned at it   
until she was satisfied that it would stay put. "There, didn't hurt a   
bit did it?"  
  
"No Dear," he murmured.  
  
"Good." She reached up for his neck again as another song began.  
  
"Well, one good turn deserves another," he said as an idea hit him.   
He took the little rose that he had given her earlier and placed it   
strategically in her hair beside one of her 'meatballs'. She giggled   
and he couldn't quite manage to weave it in beside the little   
butterfly barrettes she added to the style. "Stop wiggling," he said.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
He finally got it to stay put and he was sure that it wouldn't fall out   
for anything short of an alien abduction. "There," he said   
encircling her again with both arms. "Now we both have our   
flowers fixed."  
  
She giggled again at him and said thank you. The rose   
complimented her dress perfectly. She wore a long white tank   
dress. Satin, by the feel of it he decided. Large brocade roses   
covered the cloth in an intricate pattern. The high neckline made   
up for the low back and the sleeveless sides. A string of satin   
laced across her back like a shoestring. It tapered down to a little   
bow that sat at her high imperial waistline.  
  
Even he had to admit he knew why so many of the men in the   
room were staring at her. "You will have to excuse me for saying   
so Princess, but you really do look beautiful tonight." She looked   
up at him for a minute as if he had suddenly sprouted another head.   
"What?"  
  
"Nothing," she said becoming much more interested in his jacket   
buttons. He still managed to see a blush come to her checks.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." He realized that he   
may just be the only person to tell her that tonight. Well, the only   
male at least. Her friends would have already had a long   
discussion of how well the dress looked on her and where she'd   
gotten it.  
  
"Oh, you didn't. I just—" She stopped and looked up at him   
perfectly serious. "I didn't think anyone would think so."  
  
"You're joking, right?" But he knew she wasn't. He'd never   
thought of Serena as the type of person that needed to be told she   
was beautiful. Because she was. She was the rare find that you   
just naturally assume that they know how perfect they really are.   
But she was never one to overestimate herself in anything. Looks,   
school work, personality, anything. She had a lack of confidence   
in herself. He knew that, but she always made up for it by her   
undying confidence in her friends and the people she cared about.   
Why she always put herself on the bottom of the totem poll he   
would never know.  
  
*Maybe because some jerk like you has always put her down   
there!* Again he cringed. It was true his teasing went overboard   
and he said a lot of things that he wished he could take back now,   
but had he really done this to her? Had he been the reason for this   
self-denial of hers?  
  
He wished with all his might that at least this wasn't his fault. But   
even if it wasn't, he certainly hadn't made it any better. He looked   
down at the top of her head while she studied his shirt again. *I'm   
sorry.*  
  
She gazed back up at him as if sensing his thoughts. Reading his   
emotions didn't seem to be that hard for her anymore. In a way he   
didn't mind, he didn't try to hide much from her anyway. "What's   
wrong?" she asked, a little worried expression on her face.  
  
"Nothing, I was just thinking."  
  
"Oh." She wasn't convinced. The two almost didn't notice the   
song ending as the music died away.  
  
*Well, Dare, if you want to make it up to her you had better start   
now. Five years is a lot to say you're sorry for.*  
  
  
*I wonder if he's noticed how many dirty looks I've been getting   
tonight from all the women in this place. I have to admit he looks   
incredibly cute in that tux. Was he born for that thing or what?!*   
His midnight black hair was perfectly accented and his smoky blue   
eyes took on an even darker mysterious tint against the black and   
white backdrop.  
  
*That's my Darien, Mr. Mysterioso. Where are we going   
anyway?* "Darien, where are we going?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Oh." *Lovely. What's he up to now?* A little voice in her head   
piped up, "He thinks you're beautiful and with all this talk of   
marriage he's decided that you're the only one he wants to spend   
the rest of his life with so he's running away with you! Hee,   
hee!!" *Whatever! Serena to brain; Shut Up!!!* Man, she really   
was losing it.  
  
The two finally stepped into the dinning room where dinner had   
been served two hours before. The dishes and tables had been   
replaced earlier so the room stood dark and empty. "Uh, is there a   
reason we're here?" she asked.  
  
"Well, it's not the fun house but it's quiet," he mumbled.  
  
Serena would have laughed at him but something was wrong. This   
wasn't like Darien. He didn't just whisk you off to some secluded   
spot on a whim. *It is kind of romantic!* Whoa, did I just think   
that? This is Darien we're talking about. The man has the   
romantic sense of a dictionary. *How would you know?*  
  
*I don't!! And I don't want to know!! It ain't going to happen!!   
Do You Hear Me!!*  
  
Why did she only argue with herself when he was around? There   
has to be some scientific explanation for this. Maybe there's some   
chemical imbalance between them that causes a secondary   
malfunctioning of her brain. *That would explain a lot.*  
  
"Earth to Serena! You in there space cadet?"  
  
"Huh? Oh!" She jumped and giggled at herself for not paying   
attention to what Darien was doing. "Sorry. Spending a little   
quality time with my other half."  
  
He gave her a funny look but didn't say anything. He seemed to   
be doing that a lot lately. In fact Serena couldn't remember the last   
time they had gotten themselves into a decent argument. It was   
always as if he just forgot all of his best comeback lines and didn't   
want to fight anymore.  
  
Of course that should have been a good thing. In most   
relationships it would have been. But in theirs it was weird. The   
only reason they ever talked to each other when they first met was   
because of an argument that they had started. Eventually, mostly   
through Andrew, they had ended up actually talking to each other.   
They could even be civil together from time to time. But they had   
never stopped arguing. It was what they were good at.  
  
But ever since… their real argument, he just hadn't been the same.   
He had changed. She hadn't really noticed it too much before   
now. But their conversations usually resulted in long pauses where   
a friendly argument should have been. But she had changed all of   
that hadn't she? He had told her again and again that there was   
nothing to apologize for, but something had changed and it was   
because of her.  
  
The realization of just how big that change was just now sinking   
in. They hadn't argued. They hadn't even been together as much   
and normal. Of course maybe that was to be expected. School   
was over, and they both had real lives to lead now. They talked   
and laughed like they used to, but it wasn't the same. He always   
seemed to be walking a tight rope when he was with her. She   
couldn't talk to him like she had before.  
  
And it scared her.  
  
It was like he was slowly trying to weed her out of his life. Maybe   
he just didn't want to hurt her by telling her off. Better to just let   
nature take its course and leave it at that. No hurt feelings, no   
harsh words, no broken friendships. Nothing left.  
  
No! She wasn't about to let that happen. Lets face it Darien was   
one of her best friends, the one that always understood her. How   
could she just look the other way while he slowly slipped away?   
No! I wasn't going to happen!  
  
"Darien," she wheeled on him suddenly. He wasn't expecting a   
confrontation. He seemed like he was working up to something   
too. Well, two could play like this. "Listen, I know something is   
wrong and I think I have a pretty good idea what it is."  
  
"You do?" he sounded confused.  
  
"This is about our argument isn't it?"  
  
He swallowed a lump in his throat and walked over to one of the   
room's large windows. "I'm sorry, Serena."  
  
That wasn't the answer she wanted. "Sorry?" she repeated.  
  
"Serena, I know what kind of jerk I've been to you all these years.   
And I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do to make it up to you,   
but I need to tell you that I didn't mean it. Any of it." He wasn't   
looking at her, he just stared out at the parking lot below the   
window.  
  
"If I could take it all back I would Serena, I truly would. But what   
I did I can't do over again. I've spent the last month thinking   
about the way I've treated you in the past. I'm sorry. I never   
meant to hurt you. I guess it's just my nature to always play the   
role of the uncaring jerk. I'll probably never get out of that. But I   
can't hurt you again. I just can't… Whether or not I ever say this   
again… I care about you Serena. I guess I always have."  
  
Silence was the only thing that answered his heartfelt plea. She   
just stood there absolutely dumb-founded. She couldn't even   
think, there was just too much to take in. Too many points that she   
wanted to argue with. Too many things that she knew weren't   
true. Too many…  
  
"I care about you too, Darien." It wasn't over a whisper, but it was   
the only thing she could say. He finally turned to look at her, and   
looked straight into her eyes. In the dim light coming from the   
window she was sure he could see the tears forming in her eyes.  
  
On impulse he walked back to her. "Can you? Can you still care   
about me?"  
  
She could hardly believe his words. *How can he think that? How   
can he think for one minute that I don't? I've always cared for   
him. Just like I always knew he cared for me.* The tears that were   
threatening her before broke away now. "Of course I care. How   
could I not? Darien…"  
  
Words failed her and she fell silent in front of him. Her eyes were   
still locked with his and she pleaded with him silently to believe   
her. To see just how truthful she was being. To see all the things   
that she couldn't put a voice to.  
  
Gently he brought a hand to her check and brushed away the tears   
that dropped from her pleading eyes. She saw the light in his eyes   
change and knew that he understood. He wiped away her tears and   
looked back into her eyes as if for one last assurance. Every   
assurance that she possessed shone freely in her. A small smile   
graced his face as he looked down at her.  
  
That was all she needed. She broke out into a heartfelt laugh and   
bounced up to throw her arms around him. Darien seemed a little   
taken off guard by the move, but recovered quickly. He wrapped   
his arms around her waist and picked her up into a giant bear hug.   
Just for good measure he spun her around a few times before   
placing her back on her feet again.  
  
They both laughed at each other, but they didn't let go of the   
embrace. They weren't quite ready to be separated yet. Serena   
looked up at him, "I'm sorry too."  
  
"For what?" he asked taken aback.  
  
"For my part in all of this. You don't really think this all your fault   
do you?" No comment. "Well, don't. After all, you weren't   
arguing with yourself you know. There is nothing that you can be   
sorry for that I'm not guilty of too."  
  
Darien was about to protest but he never got the chance. "No buts!   
I mean it Darien. I'm not going to let you go on thinking that   
you've been this horrible person to me all this time, which is   
completely untrue anyway because you've helped me a lot more   
often than you've hurt me—" Darien was seriously going to object   
there, but breathing room wasn't allowed. "—And I know I've   
hurt you more than once too. The fact is that we both have things   
that we wish were never said or done, but you're right, we can't   
change them now. So I've forgiven you and you've forgiven me,   
so the past is the past and it's going to stay that way… Right?"   
She really hoped she hadn't just undone everything they just did.  
  
But to her relief he laughed. "How can I argue with that?"  
  
Giggling, she hugged him tighter. "Any way you want to!"  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "A diamond is a chuck of coal that made good   
under pressure." -Unknown.  
  
  



	4. Chapter 3

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G.  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. All right. Anyone without a funny bone, leave now or   
suffer the consequences of my mad humor. Evil laughter. Hey,   
we deities have to get our kicks somehow.  
  
  
Chapter 3  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Hum, I am sooo totally booooored!"  
  
"Well, how did that job interview go this morning, Dear?"   
Serena's mother put a freshly baked cookie in front of her daughter   
and watched her devour it in three bites before answering the   
question.  
  
"Boring," was her only answer.  
  
"Now, Serena, honey, you have to have a better attitude about job   
hunting. People aren't going to hire you if they think you can't be   
responsible for yourself let alone someone else."  
  
"I know Mom, but I don't know what I want to do and I don't   
know where to start." Serena had heard all the lectures before. Be   
more responsible. Take more care in the things you do. Show   
some commitment to something. Blaa, blaa, blaa. She was sick of   
it. She didn't know what to do, but everyone else thought they did.   
Why was this so hard?  
  
"Well, Dear, it still isn't too late. You could enroll at college for a   
semester and just take some classes. See what you like." Her   
mother was trying, but she wasn't getting very far.  
  
"The last thing I want to do is go through more school! It nearly   
killed me the last twelve years and I don't want to do it again."   
She sounded a lot more confident than she felt. Maybe it would be   
best if she could try something out. But college was expensive and   
she was afraid it would be just like high school. She barely made   
it out of there alive as it was. How could she ever get through   
college? With all of the horror stories that Darien and Andrew had   
told her, she knew that it was not the place she belonged.  
  
Darien. He had been pushing her to go for a long time now too.   
Though he was a lot less vocal about it. His hints were always the   
subtle, "you'll find out about all of this when you get there" type of   
things. Either he really assumed that she was planning on going or   
he just made it seem that way she didn't know. *Hey! Maybe I'll   
just pop over and talk to him. I haven't seen him all week anyway.   
It's about time I got some Argument Therapy!*  
  
She was about to grab her jacket and head out the door when she   
stopped herself and remembered to look at the clock. Three-thirty.   
He wouldn't be home until at least five. And considering it was   
Friday, he would probably be late. How anyone could   
intentionally put in overtime at work was beyond her. But that was   
Darien. Everything she lacked in finding a job, he had in   
abundance.  
  
He had always known what fields he wanted to go into. Physics   
and Chemistry seemed to be his only loves. He was a total science   
buff and loved numbers. Sometimes she wondered if that was   
because they didn't talk back. Let's face it he wasn't the type that   
socialized if he could help it. He didn't have many friends and he   
didn't try to find any new ones. Serena wondered sometimes how   
he had ever let her in.  
  
*Oh, but I'm so sweet and lovable and cute, he just couldn't help   
himself! Yeah, right! More like him being a gluten for   
punishment. I can't even remember all the times I ran smack into   
him on my way home. Or how many times I hit him with   
something. Test papers, shoes, books, my science project… all   
kinds of stuff. No wonder he hated me so much when we first met.   
If it hadn't been for Andrew's determination to get us to actually   
talk we would probably still hate each other. Of course, Andrew is   
still a snake for locking us in the back room like that. But, I should   
really send him a thank-you note.*  
  
Maybe he was just more comfortable with his nice little physics   
numbers and chemistry equations than with people. How she   
didn't know. Those evil looking problems she'd seen him working   
on scared the daylights out of her!  
  
*I guess when you're a physics major you have to be a little   
weird.* In a way he reminded her of Mr. Bergs her twelfth grade   
Algebra teacher. He would always seem so lost in his perfect little   
numbered world. He would say stuff like, "OK, class, today we're   
going to start in on something really fun. Matrixes!" And he   
would go on being perfectly happy while the class was in a bout of   
collective groaning. *Of course wasn't he the teacher that always   
put 'Good Luck' on the bottom of our tests?*  
  
OK, OK, so Darien's not that bad. But she'd better watch him. If   
he ever starts buying snap-up plaid shirts and high-water slacks,   
she'd personally strap him into a plane and send him away for a   
nice long rest… Without that stupid Physics Book!  
  
After two hours of lying on her bed and signing along with the   
radio she bounced down the stairs, grabbing her jacket and an   
umbrella, and headed out the door with a quick notice to her   
mother that she wouldn't be home for dinner. *Maybe I can bribe   
some advice out of him with food. It'd work with me!*  
  
She bounced along in the light summer storm. The rain was warm   
and gentle. If she didn't have to be somewhere she would have   
just taken a walk through the park or something. Rain just seemed   
like the perfect weather pattern for her right now. *Maybe I could   
study to be a meteorologist.* She giggled out loud, "Yeah, they   
never have to be right. What pressure would that job have?"  
  
A block away from his apartment building she stopped and looked   
up at it. She counted up the floor levels until she came to his and   
found the corner window. Light! "He's home, he's home!!" she   
hummed to herself as she jogged the rest of the way to the front   
doors.  
  
  
The rainstorm had brought an early twilight to the city and the   
streetlights held a dim glow as they decided whether or not to   
come on yet. Staring out the glass balcony doors at the street   
below Darien saw a familiar figure jogging across the street   
towards his building. A young woman by the height and build.   
Serena by the blond tails that followed her.  
  
If there was any doubt as to the identity of the woman below it was   
erased when a pedestrian unknowingly decided to step into the   
crosswalk at the same time. Smash! The two stumbled backwards   
and the umbrellas that hid their faces from the observer wavered a   
minute before they both continued on their way.  
  
Darien waited until the figure disappeared from his sight before   
walking back to the kitchen still laughing. Serena was certainly   
getting better, but she would always be a klutz. He quickly put a   
pan of water on the stove for some hot chocolate. She would no   
doubt be cold and wet.  
  
*What is the Meatball Head doing out on a night like this   
anyway?*  
  
He didn't have to wait long to ask her. There was a quick string of   
taps at the door only a few minutes later. Serena's trademark   
knock. "Darien! You in here?" came her voice as she opened the   
door and invited herself in.  
  
"Where else would I be, Meatball Head?"  
  
"Out getting a new vocabulary somewhere," she said smartly as   
she dropped her umbrella, jacket and shoes by the door. "You   
know, it wasn't raining this hard when I left my house," she   
mumbled coming into the kitchen.  
  
"So what brings you out in the middle of a rain storm anyway. I   
thought you still hid under your covers during storms," he teased   
as he threw a dishtowel at her to dry off with.  
  
"I do not." She gave him a sour look and wiped at her bare legs.   
They must have been the only things not covered by the umbrella.   
He could see a few drops on the little blue skirt she wore, but   
otherwise she looked pretty unfazed. "And actually, I came to   
bribe you with dinner."  
  
Darien took back the towel and gave her an odd look. "Bribe me   
for what?"  
  
"Oh, just some of this busy physicist's time is all," she said with an   
adorable little expression on her face. She bit her lip as if she was   
afraid that he'd refuse and stood with her hands behind her back   
and one bare foot behind the other.  
  
He laughed and stepped forward to place a hand under her chin.   
"How could I possibly refuse a request like that?"  
  
She broke out in a huge smile. "Good. Where do you want to go?   
I'm buying!"  
  
"Oh, well in that case, I hear that new dinner club on fifty-second   
is really good."  
  
Her expression dropped immediately. "On second thought.   
You're the one with the prestigious title and flourishing career…"  
  
"OK, so how about we order pizza and stay out of the rain?" he   
suggested instead.  
  
"Cheapskate," she mumbled.  
  
"What was that? I didn't quite hear you. What did you say   
darling?" He put a hand to his ear and leaned in closer to her. She   
laughed and elbowed him lightly in the rib cage.  
  
Moving past him she inspected the boiling water on the stove.   
"Oh, Darien, were you trying to cook again?" she asked as if   
talking to a five year old that was trying to sell her a mud pie.  
  
"It just so happens that I was going to fix some hot chocolate on   
this rainy night. Would you care for some?" he asked with the   
flourish of a box of cocoa.  
  
"Yeah! You know me, I never turn down Chocolate!"  
  
"Which is why you're going to turn into a huge chocolate blimp."  
  
"I am not!!"  
  
"You are too! Then they're going to send you to America and   
write Hershey on your side and float you around during that Super   
Bowl thing they have." He dodged as one angry blond went for his   
throat. Jumping to one side he evaded her thrust and ran out of the   
kitchen and back into the living room.  
  
She charged after him saying "I'm going to hurt you for that one!"   
Darien hadn't stopped laughing yet and he tried to keep the couch   
between him and her. But with a fake to the left, she made it   
around the right side before he could get out of the way.  
  
*She may be a klutz, but she's fast!*  
  
He didn't get the chance to go any farther with that thought as a   
flying tackle caught him off guard and he ended up on the floor   
beside the coffee table trying to spit long blond hair out of his   
mouth.  
  
Still giggling hysterically Serena rolled off of him and promptly hit   
her head against the table that she hadn't noticed behind her   
sprawled form. "Ow!" she said still laughing at herself.  
  
He sat up beside her and helped her up too. "Are you all right?" he   
asked momentarily sober.  
  
She rubbed her head a little and laughed again. "Yeah, I'm fine.   
I'm just one big accident waiting to happen."  
  
"No, you've been happening for a long time now."  
  
"Oh, shut up!" Grabbing a pillow off the couch she smashed him   
over the head with it.  
  
"Ow, ow, all right! I take it back! Cease fire!!" He scrambled to   
his feet and managed to swipe the pillow away from her. Unarmed   
and with her weapon in the hands of the enemy, she stopped. She   
smiled sweetly up at him and batted her eyelashes a few times.   
"How do you manage to go from psychotic to sweet and innocent   
that fast?"  
  
"It takes talent," she replied while he helped her up. She raised a   
hand and rubbed the back of her head again.  
  
"Are you sure you're all right?"  
  
"How can you go from chocolate blimps to 'are you all right' so   
fast?" she threw back at him.  
  
"I learn from the best." He took her hand away and turned her   
around. Gently he tried to find a bump or something himself.   
"But you didn't answer my question."  
  
"I'm fine Darien. Just a little bump. I get hurt worse than that   
walking into you. I still think you wear armor under that jacket of   
yours."  
  
Not finding anything he allowed himself a smile. "Gee, I didn't   
think you noticed."  
  
"I notice. Every time I wake up in the morning with a sore   
shoulder or a lump on my forehead."  
  
"You do not."  
  
"Well, it feels like I should." She pouted up at him.  
  
"I'm sorry. I promise I'll stop going to the gym just for you." He   
gave her a sappy look and sat her down on the couch. "Now what   
kind of pizza do we order?"  
  
  
Forty-five minutes later the two of them were back to the couch   
with a mug of hot chocolate each. "Now this seems much more   
civilized," he commented. Serena seemed to agree. Although he   
certainly hadn't minded the tackling matched she had launched   
them into before. The pizza had been devoured and it was down to   
the after dinner conversation. "So, was there another reason for   
this social call?"  
  
"Hum?" She blinked at him a second before her brain recognized   
what he had asked. "Oh! Well, actually there is something I kind   
of need some advice on."  
  
"Uh-oh. This doesn't sound good."  
  
"Oh it's not really that big a deal. Well, I guess it is, but I mean   
I'm just… Oh, I don't know!" She seemed so frustrated. He   
placed his cocoa on the coffee table before he slipped an arm   
around her shoulder. Almost unconsciously she leaned her head   
back against his chest.  
  
"What is it Serena?" he asked softly. She didn't say anything for a   
while then slowly she started in. She began telling him about her   
group of friends that were all heading into college next year. All   
except for Rei and Chad who were staying on full time at her   
grandfather's Shinto temple. Ami and Greg were both going into   
premed, Ami for pediatrics and Greg to be a surgeon of one sort or   
another. Lita was going to a gourmet cooking school a few miles   
away, and Ken was attending the university for one thing or   
another, she couldn't remember. Even Mina was enrolled at a   
modeling school.  
  
"So you're worried that they're leaving you?" he asked still unsure   
what the problem was.  
  
"No. I'm worried that everyone knows what they are going to do   
with their lives but me."  
  
Darien was stunned for a minute. He had of course known that she   
didn't really want to go on to college. She made that apparent   
enough every time a school related subject came up. But he'd   
never known her to seem so lost before. She was the type that   
floated through life so easily. Not really worrying about all those   
trivial things that in the end don't matter anyway.  
  
But maybe that was the problem. Up until now she had someone   
there to make her decisions for her. She did what she had to, and   
the things she was told. But now her life was in her own hands and   
she didn't know what to do with it. She had never really stopped   
to wonder about what was ahead. She was one of those people that   
lived here and now. But it had caught up with her this once.  
  
"Serena…" He didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to help   
her.  
  
"I'm sorry Darien. This is my problem not yours." She moved   
away from him and sat up to retrieve her cocoa from the table. "I   
don't know what I want to do. I really don't have anything I'm   
good at besides falling down and knocking people over, and let's   
face it you don't find those things listed in the 'help wanted' ads   
all that often. I mean most people can fall over anytime they want   
to, no one needs my help to get that done."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. You have such a way with it. I bet if anyone   
could make a living out of running people over on the sidewalks,   
it'd be you. Maybe some law firm would pay you commission to   
bring people in with complaints about the upkeep of the city   
walkways."  
  
To his great relief she chuckled and smiled at him. "If you were   
paying me, I'd be rich."  
  
"Yeah, and I'd be broke."  
  
She giggled again and punched in the arm. "Why are you always   
so mean to me?"  
  
He grabbed her fist before she could get another shot at him and   
held it. "It's just my way of being friendly," he said innocently.  
  
"That's why you don't have many friends. And a good thing I   
don't have anymore friends like you. I'd be permanently black and   
blue!"  
  
"When have I ever given you bruises?"  
  
Oh, she was up to that challenge. "How about last week when we   
were walking to the park and I killed my knee!"  
  
"You tripped over some lady's dog! How was that my fault?"  
  
"You were there!"  
  
"So!"  
  
"So, all of my worst accidents have happened either around you or   
because of you." She paused a moment as to consider that   
statement more carefully.  
  
"So I'm the reason you're a klutz?"  
  
"No, you're just always there. Or you have something to do with   
it. Well, OK, most of the time anyway." A slight frown crossed   
her face. "Isn't that extremely weird?"  
  
"I always think you're extremely weird."  
  
Her thoughtful expression turned to annoyance. "Oh, do you ever   
run out of stupid comments?"  
  
"Yes. But now smart ones, no," he tossed back at her with a   
devilish smile on his face.  
  
"Careful, I don't think there's enough room in this apartment for   
me and your ego."  
  
"Yeah, you take up so much room. You really do need to lay off   
that choc—Gack!" Serena lunged without so much as a warning   
twitch. Two little hands were around his throat and they weren't   
letting go. In his comfy position on the couch he couldn't get   
enough leverage to throw her off of him.  
  
And she knew it too.  
  
*Man I feel sorry for the mugger that ever tries making her mad!   
I've got to stop suggesting she come to those karate classes with   
me. She doesn't need any lessons!*  
  
"All right…(gasp)… Get off me! I give, I give!!"  
  
"Humph! Serves you right." She sloooowwly removed her hands   
from his throat. "But one more crack about chocolate and I'll—  
Mooff!"  
  
No sooner had she taken her hands from his neck than he attacked   
with the weapon that he had grabbed hold of. The pillow that she   
had used earlier to attack him came up and bobbed her right in the   
nose.  
  
"No fair!" she said nasally holding the offended part in both hands.  
  
He continued to laugh at her expense as he brought her hands   
down to make sure he hadn't accidentally hit her harder than he'd   
meant to. "I didn't hurt you did I?"  
  
"Yes," she pouted.  
  
"Oh, let Doctor Darien take a look." He gently ran his thumb and   
pointer finger over the bridge of her nose. Acquiring a bad British   
accent he completed his medical exam. "No, no. Quite alright!   
No brok'n bones, or torn stuff in there ol' chap. Nothing a plaustic   
surgeon couldn' fix!"  
  
"Oh! That TEARS it!! I'm going home! I don't need this   
abuse!!" She made to get up and head to the door but she never   
got off the couch.  
  
A strong arm wrapped itself around her waist and easily pulled her   
back down beside him. Darien was sure she hadn't wanted to give   
in so easily, but he wasn't about to let go. He even thought he   
surprised her with the move. He wrapped her up in hug, and she   
wasn't getting out of it by her own power. "I'm sorry," he   
whispered, still laughing lightly. "I didn't mean it. I'm just on a   
roll tonight."  
  
"Yeah. Now if we just had a cliff for you to roll off of I'd be   
happy," she mumbled to his shirt. But something in her voice was   
calmer and more relaxed than before. She snuggled a little deeper   
into his embrace and he held her a little tighter.  
  
"Now then," she said after a long pause. "What are we going to do   
about my messed up life?"  
  
"Well, lets look at your options," he offered.  
  
"I'm not a car. I don't come with power locks and air   
conditioning."  
  
Darien laughed, "I don't know, that cold shoulder of yours can be   
awfully frigid sometimes."  
  
"Funny," she giggled, "you're holding me awfully close for   
someone that thinks that."  
  
"I think I've built up an immunity to frost bite." Looking down at   
the top of her head, he realized just how truthful her statement was.   
*Just what am I doing here? We're not teenagers anymore! I   
mean… Wait, what am I worried about? This is Meatball Head.   
We've done this for years! Why bother changing now?*  
  
She was still laughing at him. "You know, if I could make a living   
out of arguing, I'd be set."  
  
"We'd both be set."  
  
"Yeah. Anyway! Stop changing the subject!"  
  
"You started it."  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did too!"  
  
"Did—Ooooh!—forget it! OK, time for a serious conversation.   
So, what are my options?" she asked as he let her slip out of his   
grasp to sit up.  
  
He had a perfect comment ready for that one, but thought better of   
it. *Time to play Mr. Helpful.* "Well, as I see it you have three   
choices."  
  
"That's one more than I've come up with," she stated into her now   
cold cocoa.  
  
"Well, you can A) go to college and take some classes you might   
like and see what happens from there, or B) go out and find a job   
that you won't totally hate and where you can make enough money   
to keep you in that expensive fashion sense of yours." He   
emphasized his last point with an appraising eye-over of her outfit.  
  
Looking down at her clothes she gave him an annoyed look. "For   
your information I found this skirt on the clearance rack last   
month. It was only eight ninety-nine!"  
  
"It should have been free with the amount of material that when   
into it!"  
  
In a flat voice she said, "You sound exactly like my dad."  
  
"Well, you should listen to your father! He's just trying to protect   
his little girl." Darien had met Serena's father more than a few   
times. It was unavoidable, he was male and Ken Tsukino didn't   
appreciate that kind around his over-protected daughter.  
  
"I am not a Little Girl!! I understand that he wants to protect me,   
but he's still convinced I should marry Melvin!!" In a deadly   
serious voice she continued very slowly, "And that is not going to   
happen."  
  
"Oh Kay. Anyway, is Molly still going out with Melvin?"  
  
"Yeah, but try telling that to Dad."  
  
"No thanks. I've spent about as much quality time with your   
father as I could manage without getting a nicely matched set of   
bullet holes for a going away present." Darien wasn't kidding. He   
was still sure that man had lasers that would come out of his eyes if   
he got really mad.  
  
"Yeah. Anyway! How do we get off topic so easily?"  
  
"Oh, sorry!" He sat up straighter and prepared to pay more   
attention to her problem. "So, we'll figure out your life first, then   
we'll gossip."  
  
"Dr. Chiba's psychology sessions. Figure out every detail of your   
life! Thirty-five minutes or less guaranteed!!" she said in a fake   
voice. "So I have school, or work. What was my other option?"  
  
"What other option?" he asked confused.  
  
"You said I had three options. What was the third one?" she   
looked at him as if he had just forgotten her birthday.  
  
"Oh, well, yeah, school, work, or…"  
  
"Or what?" she asked impatiently.  
  
"Or you could live at home all your life and sponge off your   
parents."  
  
She gave him a sarcastic laugh. "That's not an option."  
  
"Oh! Well, worth a shot."  
  
She turned away from him, placed her head in her hands and   
propped her elbows on her knees. "Oh, what am I going to do?!"   
she cried miserably.  
  
Darien was close to her in second with an arm around her shoulder.   
"I'm sorry Serena, I'm really not helping you am I?"  
  
She didn't say anything; she just leaned into his embrace. There   
had to be some way to help her. Something he could do to make   
this easier. *Poor Meatball Head, how do I get you to choose a   
path?* Snap "That's it!"  
  
He jumped up thinking about nothing but his idea. "Oouff!"  
  
"Oh, sorry Serena." He extended an arm to help her to her feet   
since he had just managed to tumble her unceremoniously into the   
couch cushion he had just vacated. "But I have an idea!"  
  
"I'm afraid to ask," she mumbled as she allowed him to pull her to   
her feet.  
  
"Be afraid, be very afraid!"  
  
She gave him a strange look and followed him to his bedroom. He   
failed to turn on the overhead light but instead walked over to the   
desk and flicked on the little lamp sitting on it. He turned to offer   
her the desk chair when he noticed she wasn't behind him.   
"Serena?" he asked looking at her figure outlined in the doorway   
still.  
  
"Hum? Oh! Sorry, spaced out again," she added coming over next   
to him. He couldn't be sure but he thought he saw a slight blush   
on her checks.  
  
"Something wrong, Meatball Head?"  
  
"No, nothing."  
  
"OK." He didn't believe her of course, but there was no sense   
arguing. This once at least.  
  
"So what's up?" she asked taking the chair he had offered.  
  
"First we take a sheet of paper," which he produced for her, "and a   
pen" that he placed in her hand, "and we write out pro's and con's   
of both choices."  
  
She laughed and looked at him like he was kidding. "I thought that   
was just for figuring out whether or not to go out with someone!"  
  
"Yeah, well, it works for all major decisions in life."  
  
She continued to laugh as he took the pen from her hand again and   
drew a line down the middle of the page. In one column he wrote   
Pro and in the other he wrote Con. Above the columns he inked in   
'school'.  
  
"OK, since I'm the advocate for college I'll do the Pro side, and   
you counter with the Cons. Now, take the pen and write in   
something," he instructed the still giggling figure he was leaned   
over.  
  
"OK, ummm… Con: expense." She wrote it down and handed   
him the pen.  
  
"Good. Pro: experience. With career choices I mean."  
  
"Con: I don't want to go."  
  
"Pro: improve your study habits and job skills."  
  
"Con: Uh… Did I mention I didn't want to go?"  
  
"Already down."  
  
Without thinking she leaned over the paper in front of her like she   
was trying to figure out a math problem. He knew, he'd watched   
her struggle through math four years running. *Maybe that's the   
reason she doesn't want to go on to school. She doesn't think   
she'll make it.* On that whim he asked her, "Why don't you want   
to go on to college?"  
  
"Why should I?" she asked looking up at him.  
  
"I don't know, you tell me."  
  
She rolled her eyes and sniffed. "How can I? I mean, you were   
the one that couldn't believe I graduated high school let alone   
college. How could I possibly make it through?"  
  
He was taken off guard by her words. "Serena, I knew you would   
make it through. I didn't always tell you so—" He saw the look in   
her eyes and continued. "All right, so I never told you that I had   
faith in you, but I did, Serena. There was no reason for you not to   
succeed. I mean you're smart, and you have all the brains you   
could possibly need. You just don't want to work for it. I mean   
you're the only person I know that could do next to nothing and   
still pass her classes with C's. And D's and well, there was a few   
make-up sessions, but we don't have to talk about them"  
  
His attempts finally paid off and she began to laugh at his remarks.   
He laughed with her and knelt down beside her chair. He was   
about to suggest that they continue when he noticed there was   
something different about her laughs. He reached out to touch her   
chin and tilted her face so he could see her expression.  
  
He wished he hadn't. A few tears had escaped their hiding places   
and more were threatening to follow after them. Before he could   
speak Serena did it for him.  
  
"Tell me you really mean that."  
  
"Mean what?" He was taken aback. He couldn't even remember   
what he had just said.  
  
"That you had faith in me. That you believed I could get through   
school. That you believed in me…"  
  
He was already brushing away her tears as he answered, "Of   
course I meant it. I'm sorry, Serena I thought you knew that I   
believed in you. I'm sorry. I never meant to make it seem like I   
didn't. I…" He didn't need to finish. She smiled down at him   
and suddenly flung herself at him. There they sat on the floor   
bathed in the pool of light from the desk lamp and the gentle patter   
of rain drops on the balcony doors.  
  
_____________  
@}--- "It's never too late to be what you might have   
been." -George Eliot.  
  
  



	5. Chapter 4

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G.  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: OK, this is for all of you out there that have friends   
that just can't keep their noses to themselves. Just remember, they   
think they're doing the right thing. And every once in a while,   
they are.  
  
  
Chapter 4  
*@}---*  
  
  
"You know, this is becoming a Friday tradition with us."  
  
"I know, but it's the only time I get with you Mr. 'I don't have   
time to spend with my poor starving friends anymore.'" Serena   
giggled at herself as she grabbed Darien's arm and hurried him   
along to the restaurant. She wasn't kidding about the starving part   
either!  
  
"Yeah, well, just because some of us actually have jobs," he   
mumbled.  
  
"That's not fair! I'm still looking; you know that. Just because my   
resume is lacking a few things that yours has doesn't mean that I   
can't get a job." She wasn't nearly as angry as she pretended. It   
had been two weeks since their failed attempt at the pros and cons   
of going to school and she had still decided that the 'I don't want   
to go' con was much more important than the pros.  
  
"Yeah, you're missing my four years of college, my departmental   
school experience, and all those lovely letters of recommendation   
from my teachers. Oh, and then there's those little things like   
perfect attendance awards, 4.1 GPA, ya know stuff like that." His   
nonchalant singsong was beginning to give her a headache.  
  
She didn't say a word as she dropped his arm and walked ahead of   
him with a frown in place. Then something he said caught up with   
her. "What a minute!!" She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk   
so quickly Darien didn't have time to stop to himself before he   
bumped into her.  
  
"What?" he asked straightening both of them back up again.  
  
"There's no such thing as a 4.1 GPA!" she said wheeling on him.  
  
"Sure there is," he said perfectly serious.  
  
"There is?" she asked with an incredulous look on her face.  
  
"There is if you get more than a hundred percent in some of your   
classes. Extra credit counts."  
  
"Ohooooooooow!!"  
  
She sunk to her knees and gave a dejected little pout to the   
pavement. That wasn't fair! Out of every single person in the   
whole world why did Darien have to be so stupidly perfect? *No,   
over perfect!* she corrected. 4.1! How dare he!?  
  
"Uh, Serena? Do you realize that you're sitting in the middle of a   
busy sidewalk?"  
  
"So," she sniffed.  
  
"So, get up Meatball Head! There's a whole line of people staring   
at us like we're from the moon!" With that he picked her up by the   
shoulders.  
  
She gasped involuntarily as he set her back on her feet. He was   
gentle enough, but she hadn't realized that he could do that. She   
knew she wasn't the lightest thing on the face of the planet, but he   
picked her up like she was some street cat.  
  
*Oh, speaking of cats, did I set out any food for Luna before I   
left?*  
  
"Uh, Serena? I'm leaving you!"  
  
"No!" she squeaked. She closed the small gap between them and   
grabbed onto his arm again. It was only then that she noticed the   
'you really are from the moon aren't you' looks they were getting.  
  
Darien led her down another block then turned the corner. "What   
was that for?!" he asked a little perturbed with her.  
  
"Humph! For you."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
She folded her arms in front of her chest and turned her nose the   
other way. "You always have to be so perfect don't you?"  
  
She didn't see him shrug as he mumbled, "it's just my nature."  
  
"Yeah, you're so naturally annoying."  
  
"I can't help it! What are you so upset about anyway?"  
  
"You! For once I'd like to find something wrong with you!" She   
wheeled around to face him.  
  
"What, you mean besides me being a 'conceited jerk'?"  
  
At the mention of her usual name for him she smiled a little.   
"Yeah, besides that."  
  
"Well, too bad. There isn't any!" Taking her arm again he   
continued to lead her down the street.  
  
"Out of six billion people on the planet how did I end up with   
you?"  
  
"Just lucky I guess."  
  
She gave him a sour look.  
  
"So I guess that means you don't want to hear about all of those   
national academic awards I got too, huh?"  
  
She took her arm out of his and punched him with it. "NO!!"  
  
He laughed and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Once   
they reached the restaurant Serena was surprised she had never   
seen the place before. It was absolutely beautiful! The walls had a   
golden tan to them and the tables were decorated in bold shades of   
green and burgundy. But what really got her was the stonework.  
  
The whole thing was designed to look like an outdoor garden.   
Fake ivy climbed over little stone dividers. Various small trees   
lounged around the room making little groupings out of the tables.   
Flowers sprouted from spaces in the floor and dangled down from   
supports on the ceiling. And directly in the center of the room   
stood a water fountain nearly two stories tall.  
  
Five levels of stone let the water cascade down the its sides. The   
water was tinted to give it a light mauve glow. Each level was   
carved with rose patterns running along the rock surface.   
Surrounding its base was a ring of roses. Reds, whites and pinks   
floated through deep green foliage.  
  
"Whoa, totally cosmic!" was all she could say.  
  
Darien laughed beside her. "Are we finished admiring the décor,   
madam?  
  
"No, not quiet yet." She continued to stare around the room as   
Darien conversed with the headwaiter.  
  
"Oh, Madam? Our table awaits us." Serena stood awestruck by   
her surroundings. She hardly heard his words from behind her.   
But she snapped back to attention as she felt him take her arm and   
wrap it inside of his by himself.  
  
"Sorry," she mumbled as the two followed their waiter.  
  
"I take it you like the place?" he smiled at her.  
  
"Totally!!" She glanced around her again. "Although I wish you   
would have told me that I was underdressed." She frowned down   
at little black dress she was wearing. Absolutely nothing fancy,   
and completely out of place in this setting.  
  
"You're not. You look fine," he whispered into her ear.  
  
"Oh, and that's suppose to make me feel better?" She didn't want   
to look fine. She wanted to look like all the other women in the   
room. Gorgeous!  
  
"OK, you look great! Does that help?"  
  
Poor Darien, he was trying she would give him that. "No, that   
doesn't help."  
  
"Oh." He seemed a little dejected.  
  
She laughed at him and leaned closer to whisper, "But thanks   
anyway."  
  
He smiled at her as they followed their guild up to the second floor   
of the building. She hadn't noticed earlier that there was a balcony   
surrounding the first floor. "You know," she said wistfully, "I   
have to hand it to Andrew. If a guy brought me here for our first   
date, I'd marry him too."  
  
"Note to self: garden restaurants, proposals, Serena. Got it." He   
looked at her, "Now if someone ever falls for you I'll know what   
advice to give the poor sap."  
  
"WHEN someone does fall for me," she corrected, "you are to stay   
as far away from him as possible!" There was no way her   
husband-to-be would be listening to all of Darien's stories about   
her! "So why did the newly weds invite us along anyway? They   
can't need chaperones now."  
  
He laughed and let her slide through a narrow space between two   
tables a head of him before answering. "I don't have the foggiest   
idea why they asked. But Andrew specifically told me I had to   
come, and I couldn't come without you."  
  
"Uh-oh. I don't like the sound of that." It would be just like   
Andrew to do or say something to interfere between Darien and   
her. But there wasn't anything between the two of them. So what   
in the world was he up to?  
  
"Neither did I. But what was I going to do?" He slipped his hand   
to the small of her back and whispered to her, "I guess they beat us   
here." With a small nod of his head he indicated the table they   
were headed to. Andrew and Rita sat together at a table next to the   
balcony railing. Absorbed in anything but their surroundings. She   
couldn't help but giggle at the cute sight they made.  
  
"So this is where he proposed too right?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yep. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the same table."  
  
"Ohhhhh! How romantic," she said. Thoughts of love and candle   
light dancing in her head.  
  
"Shhhh," he advised. "Well, it looks like we're late," he began   
instead to the couple that hadn't yet noticed their approach.  
  
"Oh!" they both said in unison.  
  
Serena and Darien both laughed. She noticed that he had beaten   
the waiter to one of the remaining chairs and held it for her.   
Trying to look gracious she slipped into the chair. *Please don't   
let me klutz out in a place like this!* But she managed to slide   
under the table without falling off the chair. *Gee, no one's ever   
held my chair for me before! How sweet!!*  
  
The waiter handed them both a menu and excused himself. Serena   
turned immediately to her right where Rita sat. "Rita, next time,   
you have to give me a call yourself. Messages going through these   
two don't come with dressing instructions."  
  
Rita laughed in response. "I'm sorry. But really, I was just   
thinking how pretty you look." Serena could feel a slight blush   
rise to her checks. "Next time, I promise I'll call you personally."  
  
"Good! And thanks," she said a little more shyly.  
  
Rita smiled at her and then glared across the table at Darien. "You   
mean to tell me that you didn't tell the poor girl where you were   
taking her! It must be a guy thing to always fail to mention how   
you should dress." Turning back to her she continued, "The   
second time Andrew brought me here, he made it sound like we   
were going to a fast food place or something. I had the worst outfit   
in the world on! Oh, I was so embarrassed!"  
  
"And you still looked absolutely beautiful," Andrew interrupted.  
  
"Somehow I don't think that's why those two women were staring   
at us Darling."  
  
"You just didn't notice all of the men staring at you."  
  
Darien looked over at Serena and rolled his eyes as the two became   
lost in their own little world again. She sent him a sour look that   
said she thought it was sweet. Serena purposefully opened her   
menu and stared down at the lists before her. She quickly flipped   
the page to the main courses, then flipped it again to the deserts.  
  
Normally the desert list would be the first one she would read   
anyway, but there was a different reason why she was flipping   
pages. Looking over to the newlyweds she figured they weren't   
noticing much anyway. Lightly she tapped Darien on the arm and   
leaned over closer to him.  
  
He gave her a funny look until she whispered, "I don't think I can   
pronounce a thing in here!"  
  
He chuckled and whispered back, "That's because most of the   
dishes are listed in the language they were originally made in."  
  
"What do they do that for? I'm not all that great at the two   
languages I do speak!"  
  
He laughed at her again although she didn't find anything amusing   
about the situation. "Just read what they're made of. Pick out   
what you want and I'll try and translate for you, OK?"  
  
"Oh. OK!" She went back to her menu and studied the desert   
section first. Most of the descriptions she noticed were readable.   
Although, she was beginning to wonder if someone had forgotten   
to translate the ingredients to some of them. *What is purl   
anyway?*  
  
"What are you thinking about?" asked a quiet voice in her ear. She   
turned to meet Darien's eyes as he leaned close to her. His   
bottomless, smoky, blue eyes…  
  
She blinked a few times at him before finding her voice again.   
"What do you mean?"  
  
"To start with. What are you thinking about? For food." he said   
looking a little amused with her.  
  
"Oh!" She turned back to the menu before her. She couldn't even   
remember what she was thinking of ordering! She couldn't   
remember anything, and it suddenly seemed a little hot to her.   
*Maybe it's all the plants around,* she thought. "Well, um, I'm   
not quiet sure."  
  
"Oh Kay…"  
  
"What are you going to have?" she asked automatically.  
  
"Well I thought about this one," he said indicating one on her   
menu. She quickly scanned the contents, not recognizing half of   
them, and remembered it as one of ones that she had been thinking   
about too. "You know, I was wondering about that too. Have you   
tried it before?"  
  
"No, but I've heard it's suppose to be good."  
  
"Well, first time for everything! Remind me the next time we   
come to a place like this to bring my mom's herbal description   
book." She laughed at her own joke, trying desperately to get rid   
of that uncomfortable feeling she was getting. *What's wrong with   
me? I feel like I should be eating with an emperor or something   
instead of just friends. Why am I flaking out like this?*  
  
"Serena, are you all right?" This time the whisper came from her   
right side. Rita placed a hand on her arm and looked a little   
concerned.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little hot in here don't you think?" she   
asked shakily.  
  
"Oh, I hadn't noticed," she said.  
  
Serena saw that Andrew and Darien seemed to be caught up in a   
conversation about the décor of the place. "Rita?" she asked, "I   
think I'd like to find the restroom. Would you come with me?"  
  
"Sure!" She leaned over to the guys, "You two boys will have to   
excuse us while we powder our noses," she said rising to her feet.   
Serena followed suit.  
  
"All right. We'll order for you," Andrew rose to kiss his wife   
goodbye, "Don't be long though."  
  
"We won't!" Rita waved as she led the way back down the stairs.  
  
*I hope we won't,* Serena added to herself.  
  
  
"So what's up with you and Serena?" Darien had chosen the   
wrong moment to take a drink. A full minute of choking and he   
thought he'd seen his life pass before his eyes.  
  
"What are you trying to do, drown me?"  
  
"No," Andrew said laughing, "but I think I came close."  
  
"You did. Now what is a question like that suppose to mean?" he   
asked a little more harshly than he should have.  
  
"Whoa, don't go defensive on me!"  
  
"Sorry," he coughed again, "I about had a near-death experience.   
Give me a break."  
  
"OK. But really, what is between you two?"  
  
Darien stared at his friend for a minute before he convinced   
himself that he was serious. "What do you mean? There's nothing   
between us. We're the same as we've always been. I argue with   
her and she yells at me. What's up about that?"  
  
"Oh, so, um, might I ask where my best man ran off to during the   
dance, and why a certain young lady was at his side when he   
returned?"  
  
Darien wasn't liking the tone of this conversation. "Andrew, I   
don't think I want to know where this is going."  
  
"Oh, but I do!" Andrew had that innocently devilish look on his   
face that Darien had learned to fear.  
  
"Whoa! OK, there is nothing going on between us. Nothing more   
than there ever was. And if you must know, yes I disappeared with   
her during the wedding dance. I needed to talk to her." Man he   
did not want to get into this with Andrew, he just wanted to get   
past it and move on. "I was apologizing for that fight that we got   
into a while back. Remember the one Serena came to you for help   
with?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember. I remember how devastated she was, and how   
bad a shape you were in too I might add. And that was after your   
apology."  
  
"It made me realize a few things," he answered honestly.  
  
"Oh? What sort of things?"  
  
"Not those sorts of things," he gave him a warning look.  
  
Andrew just shrugged back. "Listen I'm just going to tell you that   
you two have been looking a little cozier then normal. And I'm   
going to remind you that friendships can turn into the best   
relationships. I mean Rita and I were friends—"  
  
"You knew each other less than a month before you asked her   
out."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, Serena and I have known each other—what—five years!   
Don't you think something would have already happened if it was   
going to?"  
  
"Not necessarily. You have to remember she's only eighteen now.   
I think I would have locked you away for robbing the cradle if   
you'd had a thing for her when she was fourteen. Besides her   
father would have killed you!"  
  
"No kidding," Darien mumbled staring at his water glass. "There   
is just no way Serena and I will ever have some romantic   
involvement. It's not physically possible. Me and Meatball Head!   
Andrew you're due for another CAT scan aren't you?"  
  
His friend seemed to look at him a little more seriously. "Yeah,   
well, all I know is that you're not exactly a social highlights film.   
But you talk to her, probably more than you do to me anymore."  
  
"Not my fault. You didn't give me the number of your hotel,"   
Darien said trying to keep the mood light.  
  
"What I'm trying to say here is that you're comfortable with her.   
And I'm telling you, Darien, that if you ever do feel something for   
her, tell her! Grab her before someone else does. And don't let go   
for anything!"  
  
He swallowed involuntarily and decided the sights below their   
balcony seemed very interesting. But he wasn't seeing any of it.   
He wanted to dismiss this whole mess and forget all about it, but   
he couldn't. "Why bring this up anyway?" he finally asked still   
not looking away from the fountain in the middle of the floor.  
  
"Why not? Maybe it's just the fact that you seem different when   
you're together anymore. I don't know. One of those 'just in case   
I'm right' sort of things."  
  
  
"Serena are you sure you're all right? You look a little shaken."   
The older woman nudged her arm as they fought their way through   
the crowd to the back where the restrooms were located.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just feel a little out of place in   
here,"   
she answered. That was definitely not the reason, but she really   
didn't know why she was feeling this way. *Could it be Darien?   
But why in the world would I feel so- So what? Confused? Was   
that a good word for it? Why am I confused about Darien of all   
people? Granted he's always been a little confusing. OK, so I'll   
never figure out that man if I had a thousand years to try. But why   
this? Why now?*  
  
Rita opened the door for her and Serena smiled at her as she   
walked into one huge bathroom. She was surprised they didn't   
have one of those little attendants that turned on the water for you   
and gave you a menu of soups to choose from. But aside from the   
size it seemed almost deserted. Only two young women primped   
in the mirror and talked idly to themselves.  
  
"Serena?" Rita asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is there something going on between you and Darien?"  
  
Serena sputtered a moment before managing a "What?"  
  
"Well, I was just wondering if the two of you might have started   
something. You know," she winked at her and stood waiting for   
an answer.  
  
"I really don't know what you mean Rita. Darien and I are the   
same as we've always been. Nothing's changed between us. I   
don't think," she added a little unsure herself. She'd never thought   
of it before. Sure she cared about him, she'd admitted that herself,   
and he had admitted he cared about her. But maybe what he had   
said to her meant more than she thought it had. Was it possible?  
  
"Why do you ask? Did he say something?" she asked.  
  
"No," Rita shrugged. "I was just wondering. Well, Andrew and I   
were."  
  
"But no reason it got brought up?"  
  
"Well, you two do seem a little more snugly than normal. But you   
tell me!" Rita grabbed her hands and held on to them. "Is there   
something going on or not?"  
  
"No. No, there's nothing any different about us. Just the normal   
fights and arguments and a few laughs thrown in along the way.   
You know how we are!" She couldn't help but smile. Rita seemed   
a little upset that no juicy gossip came out for her, but she smiled   
back.  
  
"Well, so much for getting a romance out of the two of you."  
  
"Like you don't have enough romance in your own life! Rita you   
just married one of the greatest guys I know. You can't tell me   
you're bored with him already!" Serena giggled as Rita blushed   
pink.  
  
"No, I'm not bored," she said quietly.  
  
Serena laughed and felt much better about everything.  
  
But that didn't last long. Rita turned back to her and said quietly,   
"Serena, I know you care about Darien. If you ever do find that   
you have feelings for him, talk to him. I've seen the two of you   
together and I know how easy, or how impossible, it could be for   
the two of you to fall in love. Think about that will you?"  
  
  
Dinner had passed quietly and dessert had brought conversations   
of work and Serena's quest for work. She didn't exactly like the   
type of jokes she was getting but it was all in fun. Besides she was   
quickly preoccupied with the mound of a chocolate bunt-cake-type   
thing. It came drenched with blueberry syrup and wiped cream, a   
sprinkling of nuts covered it and a cherry topped it off! It almost   
looked too good to eat.  
  
Almost…  
  
"Oh, this is total yumminess!!!" she said between bites.  
  
The other three laughed at her. Rita grabbed her fork, "Mind if I   
have a taste?"  
  
"Oh, surrre," she mumbled around a mouthful.  
  
"Careful, Rita, you could lose a hand trying that," Darien   
cautioned her.  
  
"Humph!" was Serena's only possible reply.  
  
"Uh-humm," and vigorous nodding was Rita's response.  
  
"Gee, its seems to be very good," Andrew observed.  
  
"Yes, it does doesn't it?" Darien added.  
  
With a single look at each other they both grabbed a spoon and   
attacked her defenseless dessert. "Yeah!" she swallowed, "Wait a   
minute! Get your own!"  
  
They both laughed around the bites they had stolen. The couple at   
the next table turned around to stare at the noisy group but Serena   
only gave them an 'I'm sorry' smile and continued to berate the   
dessert thieves.  
  
About an hour later the four of them said their last goodbyes and   
they split off into two pairs and headed home. "Oh, I am soooo   
full," Serena wined.  
  
"That's what you get for not sharing," Darien observed.  
  
"What do you mean? You probably stole a fourth of it!"  
  
"I did not!"  
  
"Did too!"  
  
"Did not."  
  
"Oh, shut up! Besides, I don't know why you didn't let me pay for   
my own."  
  
"Because I'm the one with the 'prestigious title and flourishing   
career' remember?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I forgot," she muttered giving up on the debate. It was   
dark and the streets had thinned out more than before. A warm   
wind was blowing and she quietly missed the atmosphere of the   
restaurant. "That was a really nice place. You haven't said if   
you'd been there very often or not," she poked Darien with her   
elbow.  
  
"No, just a few times. It was always Andrew's favorite hang out,"   
he replied.  
  
"You know, I still don't get why those two wanted us there. Most   
of the time I don't think they remembered us anyway," she   
grumbled before a flashback to what Rita had talked to her about   
came back. *There was a reason that they asked us. But does that   
mean that Andrew said something to Darien too?*  
  
"I noticed they seemed a little on the preoccupied side," he said.   
But there was just a slight pause that hinted something was on his   
mind as well. *So he got the same lecture I did. I wonder if I   
should bring it up? I mean Darien and I talk about everything   
else, why not this?*  
  
"Uh, Darien?" she hesitated.  
  
"Yeah."  
"Um, did Andrew say anything to you?" she hesitated again.   
"About… Uh…"  
  
"Us," he finished for her.  
  
She stopped and looked at him. Trying to read his expressions   
were hard enough, but emotions were completely foreign objects to   
him. She could rarely read a thing. "Yeah, did you get the 'what's   
up with you two' lecture too?"  
  
"Yeah. Apparently those two got something in their heads and it   
scares me to think what they may try and do with it."  
  
"Oh, this is me totally agreeing!" Relief washed in and took with   
it all of her doubts from earlier that evening. "Where do they get   
these ideas anyway?"  
  
He considered for a moment, almost said something, thought   
again, started again, thought some more and finally said, "Mars!"  
  
She laughed and took his arm as they continued the trek home.   
Was she insane to even think of Darien that way? He was a friend,   
and a confidant, and probably the best psychiatrist she could ask   
for. But he wasn't any more than that. *Sorry Rita. I thought   
about it, and I have to agree with your second point. It's   
impossible for us to be together. We're just not cut out for that.   
Ha, you really aren't going to get any romance out of us!*  
  
_____________  
@}--- "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is   
everything." -Anatole France.  
  
  



	6. Chapter 5

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: This is a little note that says that when you don't know   
what to do, someone will open a door. Just don't close it in their   
face!  
  
  
Chapter 5  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Oh, Darien. I'm glad I saw you come in today," Dr. Loubus   
motioned him toward his office's door. Considering the senior   
member of the Bane Observatory Research Laboratory's office   
was at the very front end of the building it was impossible to not to   
be seen walking past it.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Loubus?"  
  
"Come in, have a seat. I need to talk to you for a minute, son."   
The elder gentleman made himself comfortable behind the huge   
piece of wood that he called a desk. Darien sat down wondering   
what his boss wanted. Dr. Loubus wasn't the type to call someone   
in just to chat and he hadn't been there long enough to somehow   
warrant being fired.  
  
"I've heard good reports about you already young man. Norman   
Benton has been giving me near daily progress reports. He thinks   
very highly of you."  
  
"Thank you, Sir. I think very highly of Dr. Benton as well."  
  
"Good, good. I'm glad you're getting along so well. But what I   
want to talk to you about is your new office."  
  
"Oh?" Darien was a little confused. He was aware that his office   
would be in the new addition to the research center. The same   
addition that would be under Dr. Benton's complete control. As   
the doctor's research associate, he would be placed along side his   
superior.  
  
"Yes, all of the construction and what-not, I'm told, will be   
completed by the end of the month. Which will give you three   
more weeks of that little closet we've stuck you in." He chuckled   
at his own joke. "By the way, how do you like the paper-work?"  
  
"It's horrible," Darien answered simply. Most of his time was   
spent logging the results that he had managed to find into the   
laboratory's central database. Starting out in a position like his, he   
had assumed that most of the filing and categorizing would be   
done by someone else. He had assumed wrong.  
  
Again Mr. Loubus chuckled merrily. "Yes, I know. And I   
apologize for that. You see we're a little understaffed right now."   
So maybe Darien hadn't been wrong after all. "You must know   
Mrs. Benton by now correct? Romola?"  
  
"Yes, I've met her a few times. She's even offered to take some of   
my paperwork load, although I figured she would have enough   
with Dr. Benton's."  
  
"Yes, she's always like that. But you see she has been Norman's   
assistant since he started here. Most of the researcher's here have   
either wives, relatives, or friends as their assistant, secretary, or   
whatever you want to call them. It makes it nice that way and it   
doesn't take up so much time for the center to dig through   
resumes. Besides, you're the one that's going to have to put up   
with whoever you choose."  
  
Darien was beginning to see where this was going. "So you're   
saying I need to pick an assistant?"  
  
"Exactly. Of course if you don't happen to know anyone that   
needs a job, we can always steel one of the university's research   
assistants. They do the same job anyway and there aren't many   
qualifications for it. Just some typing skills and filing, the stuff   
you've gotten stuck with all this time. Familiarity with the system   
will have to come on the job. We are very specialized."  
  
"I think I know someone that would fit that description," Darien   
said with a smile.  
  
"Splendid. I find it much easier to do things this way. Less turn   
over ratio too." Leaning back in his chair the older man propped   
his elbows on top of his slightly unproportioned stomach.   
"Anyone I should know about? A girlfriend perhaps?"  
  
Darien laughed and stood up, "A girl and a friend, but they remain   
two words, sir."  
  
"Oh, very well. I'll need a resume of sorts to have on file here in   
the records, but as soon as your office is deemed finished your   
little roommate will need to be in it too."  
  
"I'm sure she will. Thank you, sir!"  
  
  
Ring… Ring… Click! "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Tsukino, its Darien."  
  
"Oh, hello Darien—"  
  
All of a sudden he could make out a high-pitched voice coming   
over the other end of the line. "Darien! Really, Mom?!"  
  
He laughed and asked, "Would your lovely hyperactive daughter   
around by any chance, ma'am?"  
  
"Yes, just a minute," she said laughing herself.  
  
Almost immediately Serena's bubbly voice came over the line.   
"Hi Darien what's up I'm sooo glad you called wait shouldn't you   
still be at work" she rambled without even a pause for punctuation.  
  
"Slow down Meatball Head! You'll distend a vocal cord."  
  
"Dis—what?"  
  
"Never mind, listen what are you doing tonight?"  
  
There was a confused pause on her end of the line, "Well, mom   
and I are trying to bake cookies for this office thingy of Dad's…   
Well, she's baking, I'm eating. So she probably won't mind   
getting rid of me."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Why, what's up?"  
  
"I have a surprise for you."  
  
  
Darien carefully picked his way through the five o'clock traffic.   
"This is why I leave work late," he muttered while waiting on the   
fifty-seventh red light he'd come across. All considered it was   
easier to drive than to take two subways and a bus to get to the   
research center every day, but this was ridiculous.  
  
At the next light he took a right and headed in the opposite   
direction from his apartment. Taking enough of the side streets he   
managed to avoid some of the crowd. Serena's house sat in the   
middle of the block and he pulled up in front of it.  
  
No sooner had he stepped out of the car than he heard the front   
door open and two blond meatballs pop out. "By Mom! I'm   
leaving now!" Serena called back over her shoulder.  
  
Darien reached the passenger side door before she managed to skip   
down the steps. Opening it he waited for her to jog down the   
sidewalk. "You're the only female I know that never makes her   
parents answer the door and then waits exactly five minutes before   
making a grand entrance to meet her date."  
  
"Sure I do!" she said taking advantage of the open door. "But I   
didn't realize this was a date!"  
  
Without a reply, he shut the door on her and walked around the   
car. He noticed a head poke up ever so slightly in one of the living   
room windows and decided to wave to her father before climbing   
in the other side of the car. Ken Tsukino stood up full height and   
waved back grudgingly once he noticed that he'd been caught.   
Serena noticed as well and waved to her father while Darien   
started the car and drove off.  
  
Laughing she turned to him. "I think you're the only one that Dad   
really hates."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because you're the only one that usually catches him."  
  
"Usually?" he cocked an eyebrow at her.  
  
"All right, always. But Dad doesn't realize that of course." She   
giggled again. "The next time I start dating someone, I'm going to   
have to make you write down all of the ways you know he's   
around. I don't even notice him sometimes! And I have to say   
he's getting better."  
  
"He is getting better," he conceded. "But so am I."  
  
"Oh, stop! Anyway!" she changed the subject bouncing up in her   
seat, "What's the surprise!!"  
  
"Weeeell," he drawled.  
  
"Come on! Tell me, tell me, tell me!! Pleeeeeeease!" she batted   
those eyelashes of hers and he melted. *How does she do that? I   
should be use to that look by now. She uses it once a week!*  
  
"Oh, all right! Stop with the eye thing."  
  
"What eye thing?" she said innocently. She knew exactly what   
'eye thing,' and he hated it.  
  
"I feel sorry for the guy that ever marries you."  
  
"Why?!"  
  
"Oh… nothing" he muttered.  
  
"Dar-i-en!" came a fierce growl. He was silently thankful that he   
was driving.  
  
"OK, sorry, never mind! Anyway, do you want to hear what I   
have to say or not?"  
  
"Yeah!! What's the deal? It's not even Friday." She turned   
toward him as far as her seat belt would allow.  
  
"Well, I have a proposition for you."  
  
"A what?" she asked not understanding him.  
  
"A proposal," he rephrased.  
  
"Oh, my gosh! You are going to ask me to marry you!!" One of   
her hands covered her mouth and the other took up residence over   
her heart. "Oh, Darien, I'm sooo happy!! Can we have lots of   
children?!"  
  
Darien was extremely happy they were sitting at a stoplight or else   
they would have crashed and died for sure. With a groan he   
slumped over the steering wheel mumbling, "No, no, no, please   
no."  
  
Serena didn't notice. "And we can have a big house in the suburbs   
and name all of the kids with S names for the girls and D names   
for the boys. Oh, and the wedding!! I'm jumping over stuff here   
aren't I? Yes, we'll have a huge wedding with flowers and candles   
and my dress…" Giggles erupt from her starry eyed form. "And   
I'll have to have at least five bride's maids. The girls would totally   
kill me if I asked one and not the rest. Not to mention Molly   
would never speak to me again if I asked anyone else to be my   
maid of honor." She finally looked over at Darien's sobbing form.   
"Wait a minute!" she yelled. "Where's my ring!!"  
  
  
"So let me get this straight," Serena slurped thoughtfully on her   
milkshake. "Your boss is letting you pick your own assistant-type-  
whatever without even meeting me first?"  
  
"Well, he still wants a resume on file for you, but I really just don't   
think he cares. Dr. Benton is my supervisor and as soon as the   
additions are finished Dr. Loubus probably won't care if I have   
Marvin the Martian doing the categorizing." Darien had long since   
given up trying to keep up with Serena's eating habits. But it was   
rather amusing to watch. *How does she eat like that and still keep   
her waist line?*  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Never mind. So are you going to take the job or not?" he asked   
leaning forward over the table.  
  
"Oh, gee. I don't know. I mean I've had so many other people   
just fighting over me. I'll have to think about it." Slurp, slurp,   
slurp. "OK, I'll do it! But only for you," she giggled and pushed   
away the empty glass.  
  
"You're so good to me," Darien muttered sarcastically.  
  
"I know!" she giggled again, "So when do I report for duty, Boss?"  
  
"Not until my office gets out of packing."  
  
"Oh." Serena remained quiet for a minute. When she looked at   
him again she had a serious expression in her eyes that he hadn't   
seen in a long time. "You never told me why you picked this job.   
I know how many places wanted you. I mean, good grief Darien,   
you had corporations from America pounding on your door! Why   
stay here?"  
  
"Who told you that?" he asked taken aback by her questions.  
  
"Andrew, who else? You certainly didn't tell me." She seemed a   
little disappointed in him. And he could almost see a hurt look in   
her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Serena. I really didn't think you'd care. I mean going   
through job applications isn't exactly fun. I didn't know where I   
wanted to go," he said trying desperately to ease that expression   
out of her eyes.  
  
"Of course I care! And if you would have decided for that job in   
America I suppose you'd think I wouldn't care if you packed up   
and moved. You'd just leave me a note. 'Gone to find my fortune.   
I'll write if I think about it. Love, Darien.' I would have killed   
you!" She wasn't laughing, and he knew she was serious about all   
of it.  
  
"Serena, you know I wouldn't have done that. Besides, I hardly   
even considered moving. I didn't want to," he tried to smooth   
over.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"What?" Now he was confused.  
  
"Why not? Why stay here? Why not take a chance on something   
bigger? Something more your style?" It was the same thing   
Andrew had told him. 'Go somewhere, start a new life, try   
something different.' But the truth was he didn't want to.  
  
He chose a spot in the wire mesh of their outdoor table and stared   
at it. "Everything I know is here. I thought about leaving. I've   
thought about it a lot. Even when I was debating about going on to   
school in America. I kept thinking that there's nothing here for   
me, why not go? Start over maybe. But I couldn't leave then, I   
can't leave now. Like it or not this is my life and I can't just go   
somewhere and become someone else. I spent eight years in the   
orphanage wishing I could be someone else, anyone else. But if I   
had been there wouldn't be a me." He looked at her shocked   
features and realized that he'd said too much. "I'm sorry, Serena,   
more information than you wanted. Let's just say, I like it here.   
And besides, how could I leave you here by yourself anyway?   
Half the world away and I'd still have nightmares about you   
blaming me for every tree you walked into."  
  
Her shock slowly gave way to a smile. "Hey, don't let me stop   
you. I can run into shrubbery without you just fine." They   
laughed and stood up to leave. But before he could get away, she   
wrapped two small arms around his waist and hugged him. "You   
know, I'm kind of happy you didn't leave. Besides, you're right.   
I'm really glad you're not someone else."  
  
Darien didn't know what to say as he mutely cradled her form in   
his arms. *Maybe this is the real the reason I couldn't leave. How   
could I just walk away from her? The few people in my life that   
have ever really meant something to me are here. I can't leave   
them. They're all I have.*  
  
  
"Looks like we could be in for a storm again tonight." Darien   
commented to the sky above them.  
  
Serena hadn't really felt like going home quiet yet. It was still   
early and her newfound employer was being good company. They   
had opted for the traditional walk through the park. It was the   
normal routine when they didn't have anything else to do. Besides   
the rose gardens were just now starting to bloom in full force.  
  
"Oh, I hope not. We've had way too much rain this year anyway.   
Can't these clouds just go away?"  
  
"Spoken like a true sunshine person." Darien laughed at her and   
continued walking while she stopped to give him a funny look.  
  
"And I suppose you like rain storms don't you, Mr. Gloom and   
Doom!"  
  
"Actually, yes."  
  
"That figures," she mumbled to herself as she jogged to catch up   
with him. "So, Boss, what's my job description anyway? I don't   
have to become some super nerd science person do I?"  
  
"No, you just type in the results that us 'super nerd science people'   
come up with. The research center operates on a computer   
network. The central database keeps all of the files and records of   
all of our 'scientific stuff' and when we need it again, we only   
have to look through one system. It makes it easier that way."  
  
"So I just punch in a bunch a junk and you guys figure out what it   
means."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Sounds boring." She stopped and propped her elbows on top of   
the bridge railing and looked down at the river beneath her.  
  
"What exactly is the type of job that you would not find boring?"  
  
"Professional sleep consultant!"  
  
He rolled his eyes at her and mumbled an "Oh, brother," under his   
breath. "More like a crash-test-dummy. They can have you walk   
into all of the new buildings down town and see which one stands   
up first."  
  
"Oooooh, I'm sorry I told you I was glad you stayed." She   
purposefully started out at the reflections of the streetlights in the   
river below.  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to take this job." He seemed   
to think for a moment. "I wonder if that American organization   
would still take me? I could probably be packed and moved within   
a week. I know I still have their letter…" She felt two arms   
encircle her and heard a soft whisper in her ear. "Of course, I still   
don't think I could leave you."  
  
She giggled and turned around in his arms. Let's face it, she liked   
being close to him. She had always felt safe and comfortable with   
him. And she knew that she'd miss him so much if he left her.   
And secretly she was thrilled with this job thing; they would be   
together. It wouldn't just be the once a week 'whenever I can drag   
him kicking and screaming out of the house' sort of thing.  
  
"You know, I may get to like this job," she said to his shirt.  
  
He laughed down at her. "I promise there will be other people for   
you to talk to. I know you'll get along with Romola. She's one of   
those happy little people too. You'll fit right in."  
  
"Romola?"  
  
"Dr. Benton's wife-slash-secretary."  
  
"You weren't kidding when you said everybody got to pick their   
own assistants were you?"  
  
"Nope. Although I figured you'd be a little more excited about it   
than this," he mumbled over her head.  
  
*Oops, I guess I carried that a little too far.* "I am excited. See!   
I'm excited!" She flashed a huge fake grin at him.  
  
"Yeah, you look so authentic."  
  
She laughed at him. "I am happy," she hugged him again to say it   
personally. "Besides I'm going to enjoy the look on Mom's face   
when I tell her I got a job!!"  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps   
you make a living; the other helps you make a life!" -Carey.  
  
  



	7. Chapter 6

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: OK, so let's pay attention now people, new characters   
on their way!  
  
  
Chapter 6  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Good morning Darien. Come in. Serena's not quite ready yet,"   
Mrs. Tsukino invited him in.  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" he asked as he followed her inside.  
  
"You know Serena, she always has to be late for everything." He   
laughed and took the chair at the kitchen table that she offered him.   
No sooner had he sat down then Mr. Tsukino walked in.  
  
"Well Darien, are you sure you know what you're getting yourself   
into here?" he asked without preamble.  
  
"I think I do Mr. Tsukino. At least I hope so."  
  
He barely had time to blink as someone came tearing down the   
stairs. Two long blond streaks could be seen as the figment   
sprinted through the house. Grabbing shoes from the step by the   
front door, a jacket off of the couch and two pieces of toast off of   
the table next to him before making a mad dash up the stairs again.   
He managed to grab a rushed,   
"HiDarienalmostreadybedowninaminute!!!"  
  
"Then again," Darien said stunned, "Maybe I don't know what I'm   
asking for."  
  
Her two parents laughed at the comment. "Don't worry. She's   
always like this."  
  
"We've just learned to stay out of her way in the mornings," her   
father added.  
  
"I don't even want to know what happens if someone gets in her   
way."  
  
"You're right. You don't," Ken answered again. He kissed his   
wife and headed for the door. "Well, if you live through this day I   
will see you later."  
  
Darien thought he detected a small chuckle as he walked out the   
door. "I really am in for it aren't I?" he asked Ilene Tsukino.  
  
"Oh, now don't listen to Ken. You know Serena quite well.   
There's no reason for her to be any different now."  
  
"I suppose you're right." Darien had always found Ilene to be very   
sweet and always ready with open arms. He knew that was where   
Serena got it from. The only difference being that Ilene always   
seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She was calm and   
collected. Next to nothing like Serena.  
  
Now, her father was a different matter. He was always jumping to   
conclusions and over exaggerating. All in all, he could see both of   
them in their daughter. Except how she ended up blond.  
  
"OK! I'm ready!!" a singsong voice arrived slightly before its   
owner did.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked looking at his watch.  
  
"Sure I'm sure. Now we're going to be late. Come on!!" she   
grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet with more strength than   
he would have given her credit for. "Bye Mom! See you later."  
  
"Good day ma'am," he added as he was drug out the door.  
  
"Goodbye. Have a good day, kids!" she called after them. 'Kids'?   
He laughed as he was still being drug to his car. *Twenty-two and   
I'm still considered a 'kid'? *  
  
"You weren't kidding about having to run all the way to school in   
under two minutes to beat the bell all those years were you?" he   
asked as she opened her car door.  
  
"Of course not. Why do you think I always got detention?" He   
laughed but didn't answer.  
  
The 'I'm late' morning traffic was horrible. *This is why I get to   
work early* he thought.  
  
"Talk about you're pile ups. I wonder how Dad does this every   
day?"  
  
"He leaves earlier?" he suggested. She gave him a sour look and   
continued her gaze out at the city around them.  
  
"The Center is on the edge of Tokyo University's campus right?"  
  
"Yeah, it's only about a two miles up the road. Why?"  
  
"Oh, Ami, Greg and Ken are going to be there as soon as school   
starts again."  
  
"That's right, they were all headed for the university weren't they.   
Did you ever find out what Ken was majoring in?"  
  
She giggled and turned to look at him. "Psychology I think!"  
  
"You're kidding," he said not taking his eyes off the two-ton truck   
in front of them.  
  
"No! Lita said she tried to talk him out of it but he was set on   
trying. Personally I think he'd be good at it. He's always seemed   
to be a good listener when him and Lita were younger. Maybe   
that'll pay off for him."  
  
"So when's the wedding date for those two anyway? They seem   
like they've been together forever."  
  
"Oh, I don't think those two are in any hurry. They probably   
won't launch into anything like that until they're both out of   
school." She leaned her head back on the headrest and stared out   
the window. "I wish Lita would be staying closer. I mean her   
cooking school isn't far away, but when are we ever going to see   
each other?"  
  
"I'm sure you two will work it out," Darien said. This splitting up   
was killing her, and he knew it. Her friends were some of the most   
important people in her life. It wasn't going to be easy for her to   
get use to not seeing all of them everyday of the week. It was hard   
enough for him not being around Andrew and the few close friends   
he had. But he was use to being alone most of the time. It had to   
be twenty times harder for her.  
  
"Yeah," she murmured. "I still wish things didn't have to change."  
  
"Change can't change."  
  
She finally turned to him and stared at his profile. "I have NO idea   
what that means!" He only laughed at her outburst. "Sometimes I   
think you spout off that psycho mumbo-jumbo just to confuse me   
more than I already am. Where do you come up with this stuff?   
You had a class in college named 'Confusion 101' didn't you?!"  
  
"Yes, and I passed with flying colors!" he continued to laugh as   
she lightly slugged him in the arm.  
  
"Yeah, you must have gotten all of that extra credit of yours by   
trying it out on me!"  
  
"Ten points for every successful attempt. Of course it was just too   
easy with you."  
  
"Let me guess, that was the same semester you also took   
Annoyances and Sarcasm Art, right?"  
  
"No, it was Annoyances II, I quizzed out of the first one."  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to her   
window. "I really should have gone to college."  
  
  
"Tell me again why they needed to put an addition onto this   
place," Serena said staring up at the rock building. The words   
'Bane Astrological Research Center' was carved into a huge slab   
of marble that looked extremely expensive over the front doors.  
  
"They needed more room. Besides, this is the main building. We   
haven't even gotten to the rest of the buildings yet."  
  
"The rest?"  
  
"It's not just one building. There's a whole campus. Different   
places house different projects, there's a whole network going   
through this place."  
  
Only now that he said something did she begin to glance around at   
her surroundings. A well manicured lawn spread out between   
several buildings. Most looking newer and less classic than the   
one they were in front of. But the expanse of the place seemed   
immense. "I thought the rest was part of the University campus,"   
she said confused.  
  
"No, the University is down there," he motioned to his left. She   
looked down and realized that the entire Tokyo University campus   
was spread out before her. They stood on a higher point of the   
hilly terrain of Japan. Whereas the school sat perched in a small   
valley of sorts below them. Looking around she had to admit that   
the view was breath taking. They weren't up all that far in   
latitudinal terms, but they were on the highest point she could see   
besides the mountains that towered in the distance.  
  
"I guess this would be a good spot to stick an observatory wouldn't   
it," she mumbled.  
  
"Yeah, planetary physics would be pretty hard to do if you   
couldn't see the sky." He laughed at her and took her arm to lead   
her into the building. Once inside she could see just why added   
space might be a benefit. People rushed by everywhere. But   
through it all there seemed to be a brittle silence. It was like a busy   
library; there were people all over the place but no one said a word.   
*Great I'm stuck in a rerun of 'Night of the Living Dead'. Only   
without the excitement.*  
  
"Wait. I've seen this one," she whispered to Darien. "This is   
where all of the egg-heads in the building go psycho and walk   
around like zombies, right? And then they hire this new guy and   
his beautiful assistant to get new blood in. And eventually the two   
figure out that everyone that works here is suppose to be dead.   
Then when they confront the main boss guy he says—"  
  
"Hello, Darien!"  
  
"Yeah!" she continued. "Like he knows you and then… What?"  
  
"Well, Serena, this is our new boss," he said trying extremely hard   
to keep the goofy grin off of his face and failing miserably.  
  
She turned to face a portly gentleman standing in front of a large   
office that they had apparently been heading to. "Oh!" she   
squeaked  
  
"Dr. Loubus, may I introduce you to Serena Tsukino, my new   
partner in research," Darien introduced them.  
  
"It's very nice to meet you, Sir," she said hoping she wasn't   
blushing as much as she thought she was.  
  
"Nice to meet you too Ms. Tsukino. I hope you will like it here   
with us. Have you gotten to meet Dr. Benton yet?" he asked good-  
naturedly.  
  
"No, we haven't made our way over there yet," Darien answered   
for her.  
  
"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll get along fine. It's good to have you on   
board and I'm sure Darien here will be more than happy to have   
someone else handling paperwork," he winked at the younger man.   
"By the way, have you gotten to see your new office yet?"  
  
"No, sir, they wouldn't let me near it."  
  
"Well, all of that ends today!" He rubbed his hands together and   
chuckled nasally.  
  
Serena couldn't help but laugh at the odd little man before her.   
Darien had told her that he was normally a slave driver, but   
apparently today must have been a holiday. She hoped her   
laughter was taking in good cheer; she certainly didn't want to   
offend her boss the first day on the job.  
  
"But I'm taking up time now aren't I?" he asked. "You'd best see   
that you get settled in. I expect this to be a long stay! For the both   
of you," he added in her direction. "It is extremely good to have   
you with us Miss." He bowed to her formally.  
  
"It's good to be here Dr. Loubus, thank you for the opportunity.   
And please, everyone calls me Serena." *Almost everyone,* she   
thought glancing at Darien.  
  
"Very well, Serena. Please remember, my office is always open if   
you need me. Drop in any time!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"We'd best report in, sir," Darien said placing a hand on her back   
to steer her back towards the entrance.  
  
"Of course. Enjoy your new office!" he waved a bit and   
disappeared back into his own.  
  
"Whoa, that was weird," he whispered once the two were back   
outside.  
  
"I thought you said he was some huge workaholic."  
  
"He is. I've never know him to be that friendly," he shook his   
head and continued to lead the way. They walked along the little   
sidewalk around the side of the main building they were just in.   
They headed for a newly constructed building set off to one side of   
the campus. The well-maintained lawn was torn to bits and   
obviously not yet reseeded in front of the concrete framework.   
The doors were glass with gold trimming. Once inside the smell of   
solvents and sawdust could still be sensed in the air. They climbed   
an elegant S-curved staircase to the second floor. Marble tile   
covered the floor adding to the decor of the grade hallway they   
found themselves in.  
  
A metal artwork graced the hall's long west wall. Swirls and   
waves of gold danced with a sprinkling of stars throughout the   
maze. Something very suitable for an astrological foundation she   
mused. She paused in her walk to admire the huge piece of art.   
Darien stopped beside her and chuckled lightly. "This is definitely   
Dr. Benton's doing. I've been told he's an amateur artist of sorts."  
  
"Really?" she asked. "It's totally cool! I love it," she said   
admiring it again.  
  
"I'm glad someone likes my little handy work," a voice popped up   
behind her.  
  
"Oh!" She turned to find a tall dark haired man smiling widely   
behind them. "Uh, hello," she mumbled not knowing what else to   
say.  
  
Once again Darien came to her rescue. "Hello, Dr. Benton. May I   
introduce you to our group's newest member, Serena Tsukino."  
  
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss. I'm glad we've finally   
gotten ourselves together." Just then a woman walked up to stand   
beside the doctor. It was like night and day difference. Shorter in   
stature and with light brown curly hair she looked much more   
accustomed to the golden openwork pattern behind them. A happy   
smile graced her face and seemed to fit so naturally. "Oh, and may   
I introduce my lovely wife Romola. I believe she will be more   
than happy to show you the ropes Miss Tsukino."  
  
"So this is the young woman you've been hiding from us Darien.   
You didn't tell me she's a breath-taker." The older woman smiled   
at him and took Serena's hands in her own.  
  
"My mistake, Romola. I'll try to remember details like that in the   
future," he chuckled and gave Serena one of his 'you're in for it'   
looks.  
  
"I hardly find it a detail!" Romola scolded. "You have to give the   
poor thing more credit." She addressed Serena directly, "Men are   
all the same. They just never bother to tell you the things they   
think are obvious."  
  
Serena didn't know what to say through the whole exchange. For   
once she was completely taken speechless. She could feel the   
blush already taking up permanent residence in her checks.  
  
"Oh, my! There I go again. Embarrassing the poor girl on her first   
day. Don't worry, you'll get use to me, everyone else around here   
does."  
  
"It's all right," she mumbled quietly trying her hardest to keep   
herself from giggling nervously.  
  
"Now, sweetheart, you're suppose to help Miss Tsukino, not scare   
her away," Dr. Benton chimed in. Romola gave him an   
apologizing look and squeezed Serena's hand once before letting   
go. "Well, with all the formalities out of the way, what's say we   
take a look at your new cell?"  
  
"Lead away!" Darien replied.  
  
Taking his wife by the arm he led them down the hallway farther.   
Darien took the opportunity to lean closer to her ear. Slipping a   
hand around her waist he whispered, "She's right you know."  
  
She looked up into his eyes in confusion for a second, only to   
discover he was being truthful. She quickly turned away and   
blushed even brighter. She heard him laugh lightly but didn't   
remove the protective hand resting above her right hip. Somehow,   
she didn't think she minded.  
  
"Oh, and before I forget," Dr. Benton turned around again pulling   
something out of his pocket. "These are yours now." He handed a   
key to each of them. "Would you do the honors?"  
  
Darien paused then looked at the door they stood in front of. It   
was the last door in the long hallway. Or actually the first she   
corrected. They had entered from the backside of the building.   
The front faced the street and parking lot that had been created   
exclusively for this expansion she was sure.  
  
Glancing at her he continued. He unlocked the door and opened it   
carefully, flipping on the light as he did so. Serena peeked in from   
behind him to get a glimpse of the room beyond. The same marble   
tiles covered the floor and a large window stared out to the west   
back towards the main metropolis of Tokyo. Two desks lounged   
on either side of the window complete with computers and screen   
savers reading "Welcome".  
  
She had to admit there was more room than she was expecting.   
Actually, as she got a better look when Darien moved in farther,   
there was a lot more room than she expected.  
  
"Is this what they mean by an office with a view?" he asked.  
  
She turned to see the Bentons entering behind them. "Yes. Much   
better than that cubicle you got stuck with before." Both men   
laughed slightly. Serena didn't get the joke but figured she'd ask   
later. Stepping forward she looked out at the view before her. It   
was absolutely beautiful. The city was framed with a blue sky, and   
she could just make out the reflection of water from the bay   
beyond.  
  
"I think I could get use to this," she said to the glass.  
  
"Just what we were aiming for," came Dr. Benton's reply. Romola   
came up beside her and stared out too. "Well," the doctor   
continued, "Darien and I should probably go back and carry over   
all of those lovely files and category folders. Can't get too   
comfortably without them."  
  
"Why prolong the agony," Darien mumbled.  
  
"These two ladies could probably use some space in order to work   
out the database system."  
  
"Yes, yes! You two just toddle along and Serena and I will be get   
our little digital hands dirty," she giggled as she began to shoo the   
two from the room.  
  
Serena was a little surprised. She didn't exactly expect to be left   
alone with the older woman. She'd expected Darien to be doing   
most the training with her. She looked over to him as he was   
trying to comply with Romola's insistences. He caught her look   
and gave her a smile. 'Yeah, I know. Just make the best of it, it's   
not that bad.' She could just read it in his eyes. She gave him a   
smile back and felt a little more relaxed as he disappeared out the   
door.  
  
"Well, then," Romola turned to her. "Shall we get started?"  
  
  
"I don't understand why we're having a Grand Opening for this   
place a month after we've been here. I mean aren't you suppose to   
do that when you get the building done?"  
  
Darien's clam, unfazable demeanor stayed in place. He half turned   
from the computer he was working at in order to glance behind   
him at his flustered coworker. "Maybe it took them that long to   
send out all of the invitations," he suggested not knowing the   
answer himself.  
  
"Very funny," she said dryly. She turned back to her own desk   
mumbling to herself.  
  
He laughed and stared at the information before him. Three years   
of data looked back at him. *Are you coming to meet us or   
running away?* he asked his computer silently. "Star number," he   
consulted the folder in front of him, "HFZ-574. What a lovely   
name."  
  
"Did you say something?" Serena asked from behind him.  
  
"No dear, just muttering to myself again."  
  
"You do that a lot, you know?"  
  
"Thanks for noticing."  
  
"Your welcome!" she added perkily. Coming up behind him she   
slid her arms around his shoulders and leaned her chin against it.   
"What are you doing now?" she asked.  
  
"The same thing I've been doing for a month," he answered.  
  
"Oh."  
  
He smiled in spite of himself. He'd explained the process to her   
several times before and she'd stopped asking, but he knew she   
didn't understand.  
  
"So is this little star red or blue?" she asked.  
  
"Neither yet," he leaned back into her embrace a little farther. "I   
haven't figured it out."  
  
"You're just tired. It's the end of the week, and you need a break.   
I don't see how you can concentrate on a bunch of numbers like   
that anyway. I wouldn't know what end was up let alone what   
they were supposed to mean. Even you couldn't teach me what all   
those horrible equations mean."  
  
"Don't give me a challenge," he said. "It was bad enough to get   
you through Algebra. Don't make me try to teach physics."  
  
"Don't worry I won't!! The less I know about this the better!" she   
confirmed.  
  
He reached back for the keyboard but stopped short. "Oh, I don't   
want to do this!" He really didn't. He was tired and he couldn't   
manage to think anymore. *Funny, now I'm taking on Serena's   
work habits.*  
  
"So don't. We're ahead for the week anyway. Besides, you work   
too hard. You're going to give yourself heart attack and I'll have   
to find a new job." She snuggled a little closer.  
  
He appreciated the comfort. It had been a long week. Why, he   
didn't know, but was there ever a reason for that type of thing?   
"What? I only count as job security to you now?" he teased.  
  
"No. I promised Andrew that I'd take care of you. So I am! Now   
then, you've looked tired for the past two days. What's wrong?"   
She released her hold on him, which he regretted, and hopped up to   
sit on top of his desk.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I just haven't been sleeping real well lately.   
It's just the season or something." He explained.  
  
"Really?" she sounded completely disbelieving.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, listen I'm fine. I'll get some extra sleep this weekend   
and I'll be back to my normal happy perky self, OK?"  
  
"If you ever showed up happy and perky I'll commit you myself!!"   
she laughed at her own joke, which he didn't find the least bit   
funny.  
  
"All right so I'm not a bouncy ball like you. Give me a break!" he   
said turning away from her.  
  
"Is that a fat joke?!"  
  
"What?" he asked thrown off guard.  
  
"Since when did I start looking like a ball?" She hopped up and   
seemed to be examining herself.  
  
"Fat! You of all people should never even worry about that word.   
Miss 'I can eat all of the chocolate I want because I run laps   
around my house every morning looking for my lost marbles'!"  
  
"Why you!!" Smack!!  
  
He didn't manage to completely dodge it in time. His shoulder   
took the hit instead of his head which had been the intended target.   
Somehow he was glad. For the small frame she had there was   
some strength in those swings. "Yeah! Wait! No bruises!!"  
  
  
"Actually we have a very abusive relationship."  
  
Romola laughed at the young man in front of her. "You could   
have fooled me," she said with a very pointed smile on her face.   
"The two of you always look so comfortable together."  
  
"You have no idea how many people have told me the exact same   
thing in the last two months. My best friend and his newly   
acquired wife have been on our case since their own little happy   
marriage. Her mother gives me these odd looks every morning   
when I pick her up, and her father has openly told me to keep my   
hands to myself! Although I haven't told Serena that little piece of   
good news," he added dryly.  
  
"Is there a reason for her father to be giving you that advice?" she   
asked trying to sound innocent.  
  
He looked up from the folders he was mulling through and stared   
at her. "Why should there be?"  
  
She shrugged and turned back to her own filing while trying to   
hide the smile on her face. She had taken quite a liking to the two   
of them. And since her favorite pass-time was meddling in other   
people's love lives, they seemed to be taking up a lot of her time   
lately. She knew they both considered the other just a good friend,   
or a 'horrible excuse for a friend' as Serena had put it, but she   
couldn't help but think there was more going on than that.  
  
She'd spent a lot of time just watching the two. When they were   
together there was something different about both of them. Darien   
was usually quiet and reserved. Always the calm collected fast   
thinker that shied away from normal group associating. Serena   
was the exact opposite. She was the happy-go-lucky, there's going   
to be a rainbow tomorrow, type of person. But put together they   
seemed to adopt each other's attitudes. Serena would be much   
more confident and controlled. Darien would become more laid   
back and easy to talk to.  
  
It was like the merger of dawn or dusk. Alone they were day and   
night, but together they were the best of both worlds.  
  
"So the two of you are coming tomorrow night right?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, Serena won't let me bow out gracefully."  
  
"Good for her. Our newest, brightest associate should be in   
attendance. What else are we going to be able to brag about?"  
  
"Oh, no you don't! One more 'meet the new sap that we caught'   
and I'll scream." He placed the folders he had finished in their   
respective cabinet and shut the door with a click of metal on metal.  
  
"Well!" she humphed. "Little ingrate."  
  
"Sorry, Romola, didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything."   
He walked up to her desk and leaned on it.  
  
"Now I can see why Serena's father is worried. I wouldn't want   
my daughter falling for someone like you either," she teased. He   
looked like he had a comment all lined up but he never got to say   
it.  
  
"Daddy's always worried about goofy things that'll never happen."   
Serena swept into the room in that bouncy grace of hers. "I can't   
let you out of my sight for two minutes without you talking about   
me behind my back," she glared at her partner.  
  
"It wasn't my fault," he put both hands in the air in a look of   
defenselessness.  
  
Romola giggled to herself. "He's right. I was prying for   
information, dear."  
  
"Oh, well in that case I'll forgive you," Serena said walking over   
to stand next to Darien. "But if we're not out of here in five   
minutes I won't!"  
  
"OK, OK, we're going!" He turned back to give Romola a jaunty   
salute.  
  
"Bye Romola! We'll see you tomorrow night!" Serena added as   
she drug Darien out of the older woman's office.  
  
"Goodbye dear!" she waved. When they had disappeared she   
leaned back in her chair and smiled contentedly.  
  
  
Seven fifteen. One very impressive red sports car pulls up in front   
of the new research laboratory on the Bane Observatory's campus.   
Two figures, one in black and one in red rush up the building's   
steps arguing all the way. Romola stepped back from the glass   
doors and let them hurry inside.  
  
"Sorry we're late," Serena gushed giving her a hug. "I'm in the   
process of packing to move so I'm not as organized as usual."  
  
"Not that she's ever organized," Darien added beside her.  
  
"Oh shut up! You weren't helping any."  
  
"What was I suppose to do? Put your dress on for you?"  
  
"Don't even think about it!"  
  
"I didn't, don't worry."  
  
"Oooooh!!"  
  
"Now, now. You're not late anyway," Romola interrupted. "But   
we will be if we don't hurry."  
  
"Fine," they both answered together.  
  
The walk up the stairs to the main hallway was much quieter. The   
two became more interested in adjusting Serena's hair than with   
their fight only two seconds earlier. She had decided on bunching   
most of her long hair on top of her head instead of the usual two   
buns and ponytails. It was twisted around in an elegant knot of   
blond on top of her head, looking like a crown of gold. The   
remainder of her hair hung down past her shoulders but stopped at   
waist height instead of the knee length it normally had.  
  
Her red halter topped dress floated down to stop a little above her   
knees. Its rayon material gave it a dull finish instead of the   
highlights of satin or silk, but it looked simpler and less dressy in   
the relaxed atmosphere. Besides, it fit very well with Darien's   
black silk suit. The collarless shirt's top button was left undone for   
an extended casual appearance and the tie had been completely   
forsaken.  
  
Romola would definitely give the couple one thing. They both   
knew how to dress for an occasion.  
  
Her husband of course presented the welcome speech to the   
gathered members of the organization. Being the head of the new   
research facility meant he wouldn't be by her side much during the   
evening, but she had become use to it. At the end of his welcome   
he called out for each of the associates and research workers to   
come to the front of the group in order to be introduced. Darien   
made his way to the front when his name was called and easily   
found a place in the line up. Serena, not being an actual researcher   
remained with Romola in the crowd.  
  
She found it rather amusing to watch the younger girl as her   
partner made his way next to the podium with the others. She   
seemed to visibly shrink when she found herself alone in the   
crowd. Darien always seemed to have a built in confidence that   
never faltered. But Serena was just the opposite, like everything   
else about the two. She made friends quickly, but Romola began   
to wonder if that was because she didn't want to be alone.  
  
"And so, on this occasion I give you Dr. Loubus, the Observatory's   
chairman and head," Norman Benton finished. Clapping   
resounded throughout the hallway as the elder man came to the   
front.  
  
"Honored guests. I am not going to take up much of our time this   
evening. I would only like to thank all of the members of the   
board and the people surrounding us tonight for allowing this   
addition to take place. The research and findings generated by   
these individuals behind me will be of great value to us and our   
descendants as we continue to map the heavens above. May we all   
be successful in our attempts to unlock the mysterious of the very   
nature of space."  
  
Clap, clap, clap. The crowd began to quickly move out and around   
the building. People examined the structure as well as the work to   
be done inside of it. Small groups popped up in different parts of   
the hallway and members began to be sucked into them for brief   
conversations. Serena made her way over to the group Darien had   
already been clamped into.  
  
Romola followed seeing that her own beloved had started the black   
hole himself. Trying to acquaint all of the building's occupants she   
assumed. Even being at the same address for a month didn't mean   
that they knew each other. Every person was assigned a different   
amount of work and they had probably been seen only in passing.  
  
As the two females joined the group a new set of introductions   
were started. A flurry of names was launched back and forth as   
each tried to remember the others. Darien's usually unsociable   
demeanor complimented Serena's open friendliness and vice-a-  
versa. The two made quite a pair. And she also noted that both of   
them seemed to be getting more than a few second looks from the   
younger members of the group. And some from the not so young   
too.  
  
Serena was by far the youngest in the room but she didn't seem to   
notice. Either that or she was use to being younger than those she   
was around. Darien was fighting for second place. Ida Rhodan   
was fresh out of college as well, and just out of a relationship. It   
looked like Darien's appearance hadn't escaped her notice;   
although she seemed to have missed his.  
  
Serena was soon caught up in a conversation with the other four   
most eligible bachelors in the room. Darien was following her   
husband's conversation quietly with a group that was quickly   
becoming predominately female. Including Ida she noted. *Boy,   
these two can definitely gather a following.*  
  
Neither seemed to notice that they were no longer together.   
*Maybe they were telling the truth when they said there was   
nothing between them.*  
  
The evening passed rather quickly. Serena floated among the   
young men in the room and Darien tried to block off some of Ida's   
advancements. Which looked like a losing battle. Finally getting   
him caught in a corner the two ended up in a very lengthy   
conversation. Romola couldn't find an excuse to stray close   
enough to overhear what was being said, but she didn't think   
Darien was enjoying it too much.  
  
Around nine o'clock with the refreshments nearly depleted, small   
groups began to say their goodbyes and leave. She made a note   
that Ida's cousin and partner stood over to one side looking like   
she would rather be waiting in the car. Ida on the other hand never   
seemed to run out of things to say. Serena's admirers regrettably   
peeled off one by one until she was left with only two hanging on   
her every word. She recognized the two brothers that had started   
in the Observatory last year. Apparently five or six years didn't   
seem to be too great of an age difference in their books.  
  
Romola herself had been caught up in what had to be the most   
boring discussion in the building. With her husband and other   
senior members of the board it was impossible to talk about   
anything remotely interesting.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she picked up on a figure in red   
making her way over to the extremely tired looking cousin to Ida.   
How she suddenly lost her following she couldn't tell. The two   
brothers were still looking after her as she moved across the room.   
She certainly is a social butterfly. And I was worried that the two   
would be lost without each other. Maybe I really am gravely   
mistaken.*  
  
A small conversation ensued between the two women and ended   
with both of them heading for the corner their partners had spent   
most of the night hiding in. Walking up to the pair Serena looped   
an arm through Darien's and Ida didn't seem to appreciate the   
interruption. The four exchanged a few pleasantries before the   
couple pulled away. With a wave from Serena they headed for the   
doors. Ida and her cousin exchanged a few rather animate words   
that were pointedly kept low.  
  
Romola excused herself for a moment and followed the pair down   
to the ground floor. "Serena, Darien! You weren't going to leave   
without saying goodbye were you?" she asked.  
  
"Of course not!" Serena chimed in.  
  
"As long as it's extremely short! If I have to talk to that woman   
for one more minute I'll fake a cardiac arrest just to be able to be   
carried out on a stretcher," Darien mumbled keeping an eye on the   
stairs she would have to walk down to meet them.  
  
"Oh gee! You didn't like her? I thought you were having a good   
time. If I'd known that I would have asked to leave a long time   
ago!" the other popped in innocently.  
  
"Oh, didn't you realize it?"  
  
"Well, I noticed you weren't actually talking to her. And then   
there were those times I thought you were visually pleading with   
me to come over and interrupt. Oh, and then there was the few   
times that I thought you looked like you were trying to run away   
from her. But, you know, I just thought you were getting a long   
fine!" She spread her hands out in a look of confusion. He didn't   
even say anything, but if looks could kill she would have been   
dying a slow and painful death.  
  
"Oh dear," Romola interrupted. "Yes, I know Ida can be a little on   
the pushy side."  
  
"A little?" he asked unbelieving.  
  
"Well, she is actually a lovely girl. She's very smart and a hard   
worker. I would think the two of you would have quite a bit in   
common. But, yes, she can be very single minded," she conceded   
with a smile breaking through.  
  
"Oh, why me?!"  
  
The two girls laughed at the outburst. Darien walked to the doors   
and lounged against the glass. "Well, now Serena. You seemed to   
have met a group of very interesting people yourself tonight."  
  
"Yes they were all very nice! I had no idea how many people were   
working here."  
  
"More like how many desperate men were working here." His   
position at the end of the hallway left him a little out of reach for   
her to try and slap him for the remark, but Serena looked like she   
might try it anyway.  
  
"What would you know about it? You were cornered all night by   
the same woman!"  
  
"Better than being fawned over by every male in the vicinity."  
  
"You have no idea what being 'fawned over' is like!"  
  
"You have no idea what 'non-desperate' is like."  
  
"Yeah well, I didn't see you saving yourself from her either."  
  
"Why? She was still a better conversationalist than you."  
  
"Children! Children!" Romola intervened. "If you're going to   
fight take it outside!"  
  
"Fine!" they both answered.  
  
"Oh, you really are two of a kind."  
  
"Yeah, we just don't know what kind," Darien said coming   
forward to take Serena's arm again.  
  
"I agree!" She looked the two up and down again as they stood in   
front of her. They really did make a wonderful couple, even if   
nothing ever became of them. "Now you'd both better leave   
before your admirers catch up with you."  
  
"Right, right! Let's go!" he said enthusiastically.  
  
"Good night, Romola. Tell that husband of yours bye for us."  
  
She nodded to the younger woman. "I will."  
  
"Good night madam," Darien took her hand and made quite a show   
out of kissing the back of it.  
  
"Careful young man! I'm a married woman," she teased.  
  
"All the best ones are taken," he mumbled to his date. She patted   
his arm that was still looped through hers and pulled him towards   
the door.  
  
"Well, dear, I guess you're just stuck with me after all."  
  
"Oh, now I am depressed."  
  
Whack!!  
  
That was the last sound Romola heard as the glass doors shut   
behind the pair. Shaking her head she walked back to her   
husband's side and resumed the dull conversation that she had just   
left.  
  
"You seem preoccupied this evening, my dear," he asked her when   
they finally managed to lose the crowd.  
  
"Just thinking, darling."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About what we were like when we were still just friends."  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "There are four steps to accomplishments: Plan   
purposefully, Prepare prayerfully, Proceed positively, and Pursue   
persistently." -Unknown.  
  
  



	8. Chapter 7

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: The extra rating for this one is because of some things   
that get said during this chapter. Nothing sick or depraved, but I   
would like everyone to read it carefully. I have some friends that I   
wish would take this more to heart than they do. Somehow, it   
ended up here. Questions, comments, need to get something off   
your chest? E-mail me! I make a pretty good psychologist.  
God bless. (Especially Sarah.)  
PS The end will make up for it!  
  
  
Chapter 7  
*@}---*  
  
  
"My first real place! Oh, I'm soooo excited!!" Serena gushed as   
she walked around the empty apartment.  
  
"Yeah, but did you have to pick something that's eight stories up?"   
her little brother Sammy asked as he carried in an end table.  
  
"That would be my fault," Darien mussed. "Me and my big   
mouth! 'Go for the one higher up, it'll have a much better view'.   
Why did I volunteer for this?" he grumbled as he and her father   
struggled to slide a slightly battered couch through the narrow   
doorway.  
  
"If I wasn't so tired. I'd hurt you for suggesting it!" was her   
father's comment.  
  
"Now, Daddy!" she interrupted. "Darien's right, I have a much   
better view up here. It's totally great!"  
  
"Yes Princess, but eight flights of stairs is more than your old   
father can take." They sat the couch aside and he walked up and   
hugged her. "Besides, I still don't like the idea of my little girl   
leaving home so soon."  
  
"Dad!" She didn't want to go through this again. They had gone   
through all of it time and time again but her father refused to give   
her up. "It's not like I'm moving around the world. I'm less than   
a mile away. Besides, I can take care of myself. And I am Not a   
little girl!"  
  
"Yes you are." He looked down at her and smiled crookedly.  
  
"Daddy!" She was more than embarrassed. Sammy simply   
yawned absently, but Darien stood watching the whole event. A   
slight smile played in his eyes and she thought she could detect a   
smirk on his lips.  
  
She wondered more than once today what he really thought about   
her family. She knew that he had lost both of his parents in a car   
accident when he was very young. The accident had left him with   
permanent amnesia as well. He had been raised in an orphanage   
and had never known what it was like to have a family.  
  
She always accounted this as the reason for him being so closed to   
people. He didn't talk about himself much if it could be helped.   
His past he kept closed and locked tightly. Actually, everything   
about him was kept rather confidential.  
  
"Are we moving furniture here or what?" Sammy commented.  
  
"Why? Got a hot date tonight, ya little spore?!" Serena threw back   
at him.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know!"  
  
"Date? What date? Have I met this girl?!" her father started in.  
  
"Uh, I think there's still a bed frame down in the van Sammy,"   
Darien commented as he headed for the door.  
  
"Oh, Yeah! Coming!!" Sammy practically ran out the door after   
him.  
  
*Gee, does he know my family or what?*  
  
  
"Do I even dare ask why you numbered the boxes?" Darien   
commented.  
  
"In the bedroom," she directed before answering him. "I didn't,   
Mom did. She always has these weird filing systems. Boxes one   
through five go in the bedroom, six and seven go in the kitchen,   
and eight goes in the living room. Although, now I can't   
remember what's in that one." She scratched her head and waited   
for Darien to set the box down.  
  
"Great. So what's in all the other boxes that keep multiplying out   
of those cars?"  
  
"Clothes."  
  
"I shouldn't have asked," he mumbled and headed back out the   
door again.  
  
"Yeah, wait." She grabbed an arm to stop him. Her father and   
Sammy were on their way down to the parking lot again and for   
once the two were alone. "Thanks for helping out. I know Dad   
and Sammy can be serious pains sometimes."  
  
He laughed at the comment. "They're growing on me. Besides, I   
was the one that had to tell you to take this apartment."  
  
"Yeah, your fault for giving me good advice."  
  
"My curse in life. But the next time you move, you're on your   
own!" he said very pointedly.  
  
"How did you ever get all of your stuff up to the tenth floor?"  
  
"Andrew," he said simply.  
  
She laughed just imagining the two lugging furniture up all those   
steps.  
  
"Why do you think I've lived in the same place for so long? I   
can't leave!"  
  
"No wonder Andrew's apartment was on the ground floor," she   
commented.  
  
"Basically. And might I ask a possibly stupid question." Taking   
advantage of the hand she still had placed on his arm he led her   
over to the out of the way spot they had placed the couch. "What   
is this?"  
  
"It's a couch," then thinking better of it she muttered, "sort of."  
  
"Oh! For a while I thought you were planting an indoor garden.   
Tell me you didn't actually buy this furniture." He looked around   
the room with a pained expression.  
  
The couch's feelings were torn by the comment. Much like the   
pink and orange flowered cloth was at the corners of the arms. The   
back bubbled into a rounded shape in the middle and the springs   
sagged at the same point. The cushions were faded and missing a   
decorative button here and there.  
  
The end tables and coffee table were better. They were solid wood   
with glass insets on the tops. All in all they looked fine in the new   
surroundings. But the accompanying chair was a different story.   
It matched the couch in every way. Stains, rips, and fades   
included.  
  
"No, I didn't buy it. Mom made the mistake of telling her Aunt   
Connie about me moving and needing furniture, so here it is."  
  
"Is she in her late nineties by any chance?"  
  
"Just about," she nodded. "But I'll get new stuff later. Besides I   
intend to buy it from one of those places that advertise 'we'll   
deliver and dispose'. Then they'll have to climb all those stairs."  
  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He grabbed her up into a   
huge bear hug, but released her quickly looked back at the door.   
"I'd better get down there, your father will have a conniption if he   
catches me alone with his 'little princess.'" He laughed as she   
gave him a dirty look and rushed out the door.  
  
"Conceited jerk!" she called after him.  
  
Turning back to her surroundings she noticed how the shadows   
were growing. Her balcony faced east so she wouldn't be able to   
see the sunset tonight. She missed that already. She room had   
been on the west side so she always had a view of the sinking sun.   
Darien had commented on it earlier saying this way she would just   
have to get out of bed and check out the sunrises.  
  
Like that was ever going to happen! No way she would be   
crawling out of a warm comfortable bed at five o'clock to look at   
some colored sky. At that time in the morning she didn't even see   
colors! He had laughed at her and simply shook his head as if   
giving up on her. She laughed now just thinking about it.  
  
"Well, I'd better help them get the rest in. I can use the elevator   
for the smaller boxes," she thought to herself.  
  
"Hey space cadet! Wake up!!"  
  
"Sammy you are so annoying. You have to be the reason I'm   
moving out!"  
  
"Well, gee, if I'd known that was all it took, I could have made   
you move out a long time ago!!"  
  
  
"Well, I think this is it. Her father pulled one more box out of the   
van that the group stood in front of. Darien casually took it from   
his hands while Serena hugged him. "Thanks for the help Daddy,"   
she whispered in his ear.  
  
"You're welcome Serena."  
  
"And you too Spore," she socked her brother in the arm. Being   
bigger than her now she didn't get to use physical violence on him   
much anymore.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Can we go home now?"  
  
"I guess… Are you sure you don't need us to help you unpack and   
stuff?" he asked for the hundredth time.  
  
"No Dad. Mom's coming by tomorrow anyway, so stop worrying   
and go home." She shoved him towards the rental van's front.   
"Take the van back and go home! Mom's going to flip because   
you weren't home for dinner. Now go!"  
  
"All right, all right. You're sure you'll be fine here alone?"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"OK, leaving. Goodbye sweetheart," he landed a kiss on her   
forehead before she could stop him.  
  
"Bye Daddy," was all that was left for her to say. He tossed a look   
over her shoulder to Darien who still held the last box in his hands.  
  
"Thank you for your help Darien. Good night."  
  
"Goodbye, Mr. Tsukino. Please tell your wife hello for me."  
  
Her father grumbled something and turned to leave. Serena just   
smiled and let her family go. "You really do know how to get   
under his skin," she commented as she felt him walk up next to her   
while the two other men pulled out and drove away.  
  
"What did I do?" he asked innocently.  
  
"First of all," she spun on him, "you called me 'dearest' twice   
today—"  
  
"Three times."  
  
"—And then you were whispering something to me when he came   
up that one time—"  
  
"It was completely harmless."  
  
"—And just now," she finished.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Well, first that lovely little comment about tell Mom hello.   
Which I assume was because he gave you one of those 'I'll skin   
you alive if you touch my daughter' looks, and that was to remind   
him that my mother likes you. Am I right?"  
  
"Close. But it was the more sever 'one wrong look and so help me   
you won't live to regret it' kind."  
  
"And you didn't run. I'm impressed," she said in awe.  
  
"No, that was what the wife reference was for," he commented   
slyly.  
  
"Understood," she mumbled. Her father could certainly be that   
way. Poor Darien had seen more than his share of it and she had   
never even dated the man. Something could definitely be said for   
his nerves of steel. "You realize what the look was for right?"  
  
"Humor me. What did I do this time?"  
  
"You're still here and he's not."  
  
"Which basically ensures that he will 'just happen' to pop back   
over in about twenty minutes to see if I'm STILL here."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"So lets get you inside before he comes back!"  
  
"You sound like some boyfriend that doesn't want to get caught on   
the couch."  
  
"Not on that couch!"  
  
  
"Hi Dad! Don't tell me you got lonely without me already," she   
teased as she let her father back into the apartment that he had just   
left. *Eighteen minutes. You really did unnerve him Dare!*  
  
"So, Darien's already left?" he asked quietly while looking around   
to make sure no one was hiding in the closets.  
  
"Yes, Dad. Now, what's up?" she asked flopping down on the   
couch.  
  
"OOOOUUCH!!"  
  
"What's wrong!?" Her father rushed over to her side.  
  
She rubbed the small of her back painfully. "This thing stabbed   
me!"  
  
"What did?"  
  
"This poor excuse for a reclining commodity," she muttered   
through clenched teeth.  
  
"Now you sound like Darien," her father mentioned.  
  
"Does sound like him doesn't it," she said with a little laugh. "I   
think I'm around him too much."  
  
"So do I."  
  
Her father's comment was barely over a whisper, but she heard it   
and this time she chose not to ignore it. "What's that suppose to   
mean?"  
  
"Nothing princess." He leaned over to examine the broken spring,   
which had been the offending article.  
  
"It's not nothing. I've known Darien for over five years now, and   
you still act like he's some psycho stalker out to get me or   
something. What's the deal?"  
  
He turned towards her slowly. This was not something he had   
expected she was sure. "Has it already been five years?" he asked   
thoughtfully.  
  
"Last month. Now give. What is it that makes you not trust him?"   
He wasn't going to get away with dodging the question.  
  
"I never said I didn't trust him."  
  
"Oh yeah? So why are you here again not twenty minutes after   
you left?" she asking pointedly.  
  
"I forgot to… uh…"  
  
"Forgot the excuse you were going to give me when you came in,"   
she finished for him. "Daddy, you came to make sure he wasn't   
still here. We both realized it the second you left. Darien knows   
you better than you might think and he is still helping me out in   
things like this," she waved a hand around the room. "He'll never   
stop being there for me. I don't understand why you don't see   
that."  
  
"I do see that, honey. I see it every time you're together."  
  
She stood there confused at his words. He sat down, very tenderly,   
on the couch away from the broken spring and patted a spot for   
her. She mutely sat down next to him.  
  
"You keep telling me he's just a friend. Tell me truthfully, it's   
more than that isn't it?"  
  
She looked directly into his eyes and suddenly she knew why he   
was always so protective of her when she was with him. "No,   
Daddy, you're wrong. Darien and I are just friends. We always   
have been. There isn't anything that I've kept from you."  
  
He seemed to let her words sink in, to make sure that she was   
telling the truth. Then he simply nodded. "Maybe I was wrong."  
  
He looked away but she already knew why. "You really thought   
he and I were involved didn't you?"  
  
No response.  
  
"And that's not all you thought," she said flatly.  
  
He turned back to her but still said nothing.  
  
"You thought he would pressure me into something didn't you?"   
She saw her father's eyes drop from hers and she couldn't believe   
that they were having this conversation. How could he have   
believed the worst of them like that? How could he have   
thought—"  
  
"Daddy, Darien isn't capable of something like that. He would   
never pick up on someone just to use them. He's not that type, and   
he would never hurt me!" Her voice rose at the end of the   
sentence. "I could never believe for one second that he would ever   
even consider using me or anyone else. I know he genuinely cares   
about me and I won't let you think that he has ever tempted me, or   
pressured me, or even hinted at sex since I've known him. And—"  
  
"I understand that," he cut her off. "I use to think that maybe that   
was what he was after. He is so much older than you. I mean you   
were fourteen when you met, right? You were still in junior high!   
At first you hated him. Called him a jerk because he kept calling   
you meatball head. But when you seemed to start liking him…   
well, what else was a father to think?" He took her hand in his   
own. "I didn't want you to get hurt. I thought maybe it was just a   
crush since he was an older guy, but when he seemed to like you   
back, I began to wonder. You were so young and impressionable,   
you could have been talked into something."  
  
"But Dad—"  
  
"Let me finish," he held up a figure in front of her lips. "As time   
went on I figured that anyone just after that would have been   
scared away long before then, so I relaxed a little. But the more he   
showed up in your life, the more I worried. What if you fell for   
him? What if you really thought you loved him? Even if it was   
mutual, it could have ended up the same way. It would have taken   
longer, but at that age…" he paused and looked at her "…at any   
age, it would have torn you apart and left you completely   
devastated."  
  
He held her hands tightly. "I don't want you to ever make that   
mistake. Love isn't something you or I can control, but the destiny   
of that relationship is up to you. It can be cheap and next to   
meaningless or it can be kept and savored." He stopped and   
locked his gaze with hers, which was now beginning to waver.   
"Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded silently as she fought back the tears. She wasn't sure   
why she should be crying, she'd known this all along, but   
somehow with her father there it just made it more real to her. "I   
know, Daddy," she whispered. "I promise, you'll never have to   
worry about it again."  
  
She leaned forward and hugged him while the tears refused to back   
down. "I promise I won't let it happen. Please don't worry about   
me." She raised her head to look at him with a little laugh, "And   
don't even worry about Darien!"  
  
  
Darien rode the elevator up to the tenth floor of his apartment   
building. He could already feel soreness in his legs and back from   
furniture moving. With a sack of groceries in one arm he walked   
down the hall. It had still been relatively early when he had gotten   
home so he'd decided to stop procrastinating on a shopping trip.   
Besides, he was out of shampoo.  
  
On reaching his door he realized that he'd forgotten to lock it   
before going out again. Not that it was too unusual. The store was   
down the street and building's occupants, security guard, and   
'floor watch' would probably deter most would-be burglars. Not   
to mention, he didn't have anything to steel.  
  
*Not unless they want to carry my TV down ten flights of stairs and   
out the front door.*  
  
He opened the door and kicked off his shoes. He made his way   
into the living room and headed for the kitchen with his sack   
before attempting to turn on a light. But passing the couch he   
suddenly noticed he wasn't alone.  
  
But the figure in front of him didn't seem all that intimidating.   
Unless she threatened to trip over you! Curled up on his sofa lay a   
small figure with little balls on each side of her head and blond   
hair sprawled haphazardly around her frame. She had not noticed   
his entry and seemed rather innate in the darkening room.  
  
Quietly he moved into the kitchen and set the bag down on one of   
the counters. Returning to the living room he gradually turned on   
his reading light that sat on his end table closer to the bedroom   
door. He adjusted the variable brightness to a very low setting and   
tiptoed next to the sleeping creature.  
  
He stood for a moment not knowing whether to wake her or not,   
but he figured something had brought her here and it wasn't   
because she liked his couch. He knelt down beside her and tapped   
her shoulder lightly. "I need to post and 'no loitering' sign around   
here," he said softly so as to not startle her.  
  
It didn't work. Her eyes popped open and she shot up like he'd   
just shouted 'ice-cream!'  
  
"Oh! Darien?" She glanced around her to get her bearings and   
settled her gaze back on him. "I'm sorry. The door was open and   
you weren't here so I thought I'd just wait. But I guess I dozed   
off. I'm sorry… What time is it?"  
  
He consulted his watch. "Nine ten."  
  
"Oh, gee. I must be really out of it then. I'm falling asleep when   
the sun's barely down."  
  
"Which raises the question of why you're here," he commented   
while sitting down next to her. "I know my couch is more   
comfortable than yours but you should really give it a shot."  
  
She smiled at him and yawned tiredly. "Yeah, yours doesn't have   
a death wish for me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind," she waved it off. "I came by to talk to you. See my   
dad came back to the apartment again."  
  
"As expected."  
  
"Yeah, well, I finally asked him about you."  
  
He was taken off guard. "Asked about what?"  
  
"About the fact that he's always so protective even though I've   
known you forever. About why he's never seemed to like you no   
matter how well he gets to know you." She stopped as if unsure of   
exactly just what she was going to say next.  
  
"And he said?" he prompted.  
  
"Well… He said something that I'd never thought of before."  
  
He looked at her in the dim lighting for a minute. She seemed to   
be becoming more uncomfortable with this conversation the longer   
it went on. She sat fiddling with her hands in lap and she wasn't   
looking at him. Not a good sign.  
  
"Come on, Meatball Head. What is it? It can't be that bad right? I   
mean the worst you can tell me is that he's just totally biased   
against me and he'll hate me as long as I live." He looped an arm   
around the back of the couch and scooted a little closer to her.  
  
She didn't notice. She still sat there in silence with no intention of   
looking at him. "Serena?"  
  
"I'm sorry," she finally whispered snapping out of whatever kind   
of trance she had been in. "It seemed like a good idea to come   
over and talk to you about this, but I'm not so sure anymore." She   
still wasn't looking at him and he was beginning to really worry.  
  
"Serena," he stopped not knowing what else to say. She sat right   
there beside him and for the first time in who knew how long he   
didn't have the foggiest idea how to help her. She seemed so torn   
for some reason and he didn't understand why.  
  
On impulse he reached out to brush away a few of her bangs that   
were falling into her eyes. And then let his hand slip down to her   
check. She closed her eyes again and turned into his touch   
seeming to need the comfort. He suddenly felt his heart melt a   
little more for this girl in front of him. "You can tell me anything,   
you know that," he whispered. "But if you're not comfortable with   
this I'm not going to push you into anything."  
  
She laughed lightly at his words and finally looked him in the eye.   
"I know you wouldn't."  
  
He looked at her confused again, but before he could question her   
she hugged him tightly. He held her close not knowing what else   
to do and just let the quiet drag on.  
  
Finally she broke into his thoughts again. "You really won't   
believe me if I tell you what Dad thought."  
  
"Try me," he said happy to have her talking.  
  
"Well, first he asked me point-blank if we were seeing each other."  
  
"We see each other almost everyday. What's wrong with that?"   
She punched him in the stomach to shut him up. "Sorry," he   
mumbled.  
  
She laughed and continued, "Anyway! This is a serious subject,   
stop with the comic relief."  
  
"OK. Perfectly serious. Fire away."  
  
"So of course I told him we're just friends the same as we've   
always been."  
  
"And he didn't believe you?"  
  
"No, I think he really does believe me now."  
  
"So, he thought that we were going out behind his back all this   
time?" he asked confused again.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure. But I know he thought we were doing more   
than talking all those times that I was over here." Her voice   
dropped to a low whisper and stopped. She was still hugging him   
so he couldn't see her face but he heard it in her voice. This was   
what she wasn't sure if she could tell him.  
  
So her father had thought that there was a lot more going on with   
them than they let on. No wonder he was so over protective and so   
paranoid about her. "So he thought I was taking advantage of his   
little girl," he finished what she was trying to say.  
  
She nodded slightly. "At first he said he thought that that was all   
you were after. But as time went on and you didn't disappear he   
thought that maybe I was falling for you. He worried that with you   
being older than me that you would try talking me into something   
and I wouldn't be able to stop it."  
  
He tightened his grip on her and searched for the right words.   
"Serena, I would never—"  
  
"I know. I know you wouldn't." She sat up in his arms and   
looked up at him. "I know that. And I know you would never   
think of trying anything with me. Or anyone else I'm sure. I know   
you too well to believe that. And that's what I said. I had to make   
him see that too."  
  
"Did it work?" he asked almost afraid of the answer.  
  
"Yes. I think so. Dad knows I wouldn't lie about something like   
this and he knows, now at least, that I wouldn't put myself in that   
situation. But he made the point that when you think you're in   
love it's a lot easier to believe that what you're doing is right."  
  
"It gets mixed up a lot of times," he conceded. "Serena, I couldn't   
do something like that to you. Or anyone that I care about. Or   
anyone off the street either," he added. "I can't make a   
commitment that's suppose to last forever without knowing that it   
will."  
  
She hugged him again and whispered, "I know. Somehow I knew   
you'd say that."  
  
He laughed into her hair. "I think you're getting to know me too   
well."  
  
"Just don't tell Dad that!"  
  
"Done!" He laughed with her but added, "Do you think I should   
talk to him?"  
  
She looked up at him for a moment before responding. "Would   
you?"  
  
"Well, this is partially my fault."  
  
"How?" she pulled away slightly. "How is this your fault? You   
never did anything."  
  
"No, but this is what I get for having any kind of relationship with   
a beautiful girl four years younger than me with a wacko father."  
  
She laughed and slugged him again. "He's just worried about   
these strange older men I keep bringing home."  
  
"Men? How many of us do you have hanging around?!"  
  
She snuggled back to him and mumbled, "Just you Darling. Just   
you."  
  
"Better be," he grumbled. "So do I have a man to man talk with   
Daddy?"  
  
"I'll tell him I talked to you about it. Put him at ease a little. I   
wouldn't worry much about it unless he brings it up."  
  
He was relieved to hear it. Sure he would talk to him, but if he   
could avoid it he would. *How do I put her father at ease?   
'Please believe me, I care about your daughter and I promise to   
never hurt her, protect her, care about her, yada, yada, yada.' It'd   
be like I was asked to marry her! Now wouldn't that put his mind   
at ease.*  
  
But regardless, he knew he did care about her and he promised   
himself that no mater what he would never put her though   
something like that. Not that he ever intended to have the chance,   
but just in case. There was certainly enough people wondering   
about that same issue! But for the time being he just enjoyed the   
solitude with her.  
  
"So! What's on TV?" she said climbing over him to reach the   
remote on the coffee table.  
  
*Serena was the wrong name for this child!!*  
  
  
"You know, this is what I love about you. You always have ice   
cream," she said around the spoon in her mouth.  
  
"Which is truly an accomplishment as often as you're over here."  
  
"Why do you think I come over so often?"  
  
Flopping back down on the couch he mumbled, "Note to self: stop   
buying ice cream."  
  
She whacked him with a pillow and took another bite. Flipping   
through channels they had found that all of the good movies had   
started earlier so they ended up with a Super Block of Sailor Moon   
cartoons. "You know, if that Mamoru guy was real I could really   
have a serious crush on him!"  
  
"Why let that stop you? He's probably as accessible as any of   
your other crushes."  
  
"Why you!! If I wasn't finished with my ice cream I'd hurt you   
for that!" She humphed and slugged him with her free hand   
anyway. He caught her wrist half way through the motion. "Man,   
I gota stop trying that," she muttered to herself when he didn't let   
go.  
  
He simply laughed at her and took the bowl out of her other hand.   
"Yeah!" It was all but licked clean anyway, but she wasn't   
through struggling.  
  
"Sorry madam, but fourths are just a little over your limit." He   
took the dish and headed into the kitchen.  
  
"That was my first bowl and you know it!" she called after him.  
  
He came back but didn't sit down immediately. "You know, since   
we were talking about this whole father thing I guess I should   
probably tell you something."  
  
This peeked her curiosity. "What?"  
  
"When we first started working together your father not so   
gracefully told me that if anything happened to you he'd have my   
head and then ask me what happened."  
  
"Oh, he didn't either."  
  
"OK, so he said something like 'have a nice day,' but that's what   
he meant."  
  
She laughed and pulled him down on the couch so she could see   
the TV again. "Hey! This is a good one! It's where they all go on   
a ski trip and the Nega-verse fakes this snow bunny contest that   
Usagi and Rei get stuck in. It's really sweet because even though   
he's evil now Mamoru saves them again. Totally Romantic! It's   
like there's some bond between them even though he doesn't   
remember her!" She stopped noticing a very familiar laugh   
blocking out her story. "What?"  
  
"You! What, Nineteen years old now, and you still watch this   
stuff?! It's priceless!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up fuzz-ball!" she said acutely miffed. "This   
is quality entertainment. And not to mention this is from the man   
who watches the 24-hour news channel for fun."  
  
"And this from a woman that came to my apartment once a week   
needing current events."  
  
"I couldn't help it," she said, "they made me take the class."  
  
He laughed good-naturedly at her and pulled her closer to him for a   
warm embrace. "So, I still don't get it. I thought he loved her,   
why is he trying to kill her again?"  
  
"You're not paying attention," she chided. "He was captured by   
the Nega-verse and got all of his memories wiped, so now he   
thinks he's on their side, but really deep down he knows he can't   
hurt her because he usually ends up saving her anyway."  
  
"So he's a good guy that's suppose to be evil but he doesn't act   
evil."  
  
"Right!"  
  
"So why did the bad guys take him to start with?"  
  
"Basically because the evil queen has a thing for him."  
  
"Oh." There was a short pause. "So which one is she?"  
  
"Oh you are totally hopeless!!" She grabbed the pillow she'd been   
lying on and swatted at him. "How am I suppose to teach you   
anything if you don't pay attention!" she said throwing his   
infamous words back at him from all the times that he'd helped her   
out with homework.  
  
"Hey, that's my line." He tried to move out of the way of the   
flailing object but he was having little success. "Watch it with that   
thing would you?"  
  
"Ha! You deserve it! This is pay back for all of the years of abuse   
I took when I was fighting through school!" She pelted him left   
and right careful to stay fast enough that he couldn't take it from   
her hands.  
  
"Fighting through school!? The only reason you needed my help   
was because you were too lazy to study on your own! You could   
have gotten straight A's if you would have tried a little." Tired of   
the abuse he snagged her wrist again and yanked the pillow out   
with the other hand. He tossed it behind her, out of reach so long   
as he held her arm. "Now then…"  
  
"Uh, ha-ha. So what do we do now?" she asked innocently batting   
her eye lashes like she knew he hated.  
  
"Would you stop that?"  
  
"Stop what?" she asked with the same bats.  
  
"That!" He cupped her chin with his free hand and looked into her   
eyes. "You know, a few well placed scissor snips and I wouldn't   
have to worry about it."  
  
"Don't you DARE!"  
  
"It'd give you a whole new outlook on life!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Fine, be that way," he muttered pulling her closer again.  
  
"I will," she said snuggling against him once more. She noticed   
for the third time since she'd been there that he still wore the same   
thing he had on while at her apartment. The faded shirt had long   
since had its sleeves cut off which now made it an amputee she   
guessed. His jeans on the other hand looked like they died on the   
battlefield. The aged pair showed wear marks on the knees and   
pockets and the hem had started to give out on the bottoms. They   
also seemed to be just the slightest bit snug.  
  
She giggled to herself and then immediately felt embarrassed by   
what she was thinking. Darien regarded the top of her head, which   
was all he could see of her. "What?"  
  
"Nothing!" she said involuntarily giggling again at herself.  
  
"Don't lie to me. What?"  
  
He knew it was something now. *Crud! Why do I have to be such   
a bad liar?* "Nothing, I was just laughing at the show," she said   
perfectly normal.  
  
She felt him turn back to the TV and then down to her. "It's   
advertising. We're in the middle of a car commercial," he said   
dryly.  
  
"Oh! Uh—I know. I was just—uh—thinking about what happens   
next."  
  
"You are such a bad liar."  
  
"I know," she muttered.  
  
"So give. What's up?"  
  
Oh well, time for plan B. "How ancient are you're jeans?"  
  
He looked down at the pair he had on and paused thinking. "About   
three years. Give or take a few months."  
  
"Oh. Just wondering."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
"Serena!"  
  
"Well, they just seem a little tight and I was wondering how long   
you'd had them that's all," she finally spit out.  
  
"Tight?"  
  
"Snug, taunt, not loose, any other adjective you want?"  
  
"I didn't figure you'd notice," he said measuringly.  
  
Uncontrollably she giggled again and cursed herself for being so   
stupid about this whole situation.  
  
"What!?" he was getting a little flustered with her.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She laughed now openly. *Heck, why not, let's   
see if we can make him blush!* "But, yes I noticed," she said with   
another laugh. She popped up in order to see his face, which   
looked totally confused.  
  
"So, they're a little snug. I don't get it. What's the big—" He   
stopped and stared at her. "You don't mean…"  
  
She only laughed harder. The look on his face was priceless!   
"Don't mind me for noticing but I can't help but like them on   
you."  
  
He looked away from her with an embarrassed expression. "I   
don't believe you just said that."  
  
"Why not? You keep insisting on telling me I'm beautiful at the   
oddest times. Why can't I comment on you?"  
  
"I don't name specific regions."  
  
"Neither did I," she should have stopped there but she couldn't   
help herself. "But if you want to get technical…"  
  
"I don't want technical!"  
  
"So what if you have a cute backside? Most guys would be   
flattered." She saw the pained expression on his face and knew   
beyond all doubt that she would never live this down. And neither   
would he!  
  
"I'm not most guys and you're not most girls! I don't believe   
you!!"  
  
"What! Like you've never thought the something like this with me   
at one point or another." Now she was curious. She wanted a   
response to that.  
  
"No I haven't!"  
  
She gave him the most doubtful look she could manage and hoped   
he wasn't serious. Or else she would have some serious explaining   
to do.  
  
He looked at her and shrugged, "All right, maybe. But I didn't   
point it out."  
  
"You made me," she snipped in triumph. Besides, what was the   
harm in saying you found someone attractive. "You should be use   
to stares and stuff like this anyway." She slowly snuggled back   
under his chin where she had been before.  
  
"Why would I be use to it?"  
  
It was a serious question. Although she couldn't believe it was a   
serious question. She picked her head back up and gave him an 'I   
don't believe you have to ask that' look. "What do you mean? Do   
you have any idea how many sideways looks you get just walking   
down the street? Darien Chiba if you dare tell me that you don't   
consider yourself good looking I'll beat you myself!"  
  
"I'm not one to argue," he mumbled.  
  
"Yes you are. Now come off it! Tell me that you're an incredibly   
handsome man and you've always known that." He paused and   
she looked into his eyes to see just a hint of self-doubt. Something   
that she had never seen before in him.  
  
"All right, so I've never considered myself to be some sort of   
knock-out. But I did model for a while so I guess I have to say I   
knew I wasn't that hard on the eyes. But truthfully I've never paid   
much attention." He lapsed into a thoughtful silence and she   
resumed her comfortable position.  
  
She had never seen a doubt in him. Never seen anything but a   
headstrong man that could crumble a mountain by sheer force of   
will. To find something in him that betrayed a true human nature   
scared her slightly. She knew he wasn't perfect and that he had   
fears and misconceptions just like everyone else, but she'd never   
seen them.  
  
Through everything he had always been the one that comforted   
her. And she had never been able to return the favor. She had   
never seen him depressed or saddened by anything. He was just   
the same old Darien. Out of all the times she had spilled herself   
out to him he had never confided in her the same way. She knew   
she was much more emotional about things but she refused to   
believe that nothing ever got to him. He just didn't talk. At least   
not to her.  
  
It bugged her sometimes. And like now, she had no idea what was   
going on in his head. She just felt like she couldn't dig deep   
enough into him to see beyond the crust. She couldn't be that   
close. Sometimes she still felt so much distance between them   
even though she knew him as well as she did. Like now.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"Hum?"  
  
She lay with her head against his chest listening carefully to his   
heartbeat. "Do you trust me?"  
  
There was a disturbed pause before he replied. "Of course I do.   
Why in the word wouldn't I?"  
  
"Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get completely through those   
walls of yours," she said not really thinking but just talking from   
the heart.  
  
"What?" the surprise was evident in his voice. "Serena…" his   
voice was only a whisper in her hair. She wrapped her arms tighter   
around him and he responded by doing the same. This was what   
she needed. Just to be close, to be warm and safe, to feel cared for.   
Was that it? Did she need to make sure that he cared?  
  
No. She knew that. She knew that in every word and every touch   
he gave her. Just like earlier when he had touched her check.   
She'd felt it then and it had melted her fears aside. And now his   
arms were again blocking out the world around her. They seemed   
to be her best weapons against the fears that haunted her with each   
new step of life. But she wanted to be that for Darien. He was   
always alone. And she wanted to be someone that he could talk to,   
someone that could do this for him.  
  
"Serena, please don't ever think that you're not close to me.   
Please believe how much I trust you." She could hear emotion   
etched in his words. "Never underestimate how much you mean to   
me. I'm sorry… I have never been good at telling people how I   
feel. You know that. And you've said it yourself, you know me   
too well."  
  
She'd said it, but this was different. There were still parts to him   
that she didn't know. Parts that she knew she would never know.   
They were too well guarded and too well encased for her to get   
through to. But those were the parts that hid his soul and she knew   
she may never see it.  
  
"Serena, you truly are the most important person in my life.   
…You know," he chuckled lightly, "for five years you've been   
chipping away at every wall I've even thought of putting up.   
You're so far inside of me that sometimes it scares me."  
  
"What?" she breathed.  
  
"It's true. Maybe that's why I still have a hard time talking   
through things with you. I've lived so much for the fact that I   
could never be hurt by letting someone get too close. But you…   
you just have to waltz in with that 'I care about you ' attitude and   
little by little change my life around. You know, so many times it   
was just the fact that you seemed to care that kept me sane. I'm   
worthless at talking about things so I've probably never told you   
this before. But please remember how much a part of me you are."   
He faded out as he pressed her a little closer to him.  
  
She welcomed it and hugged him tightly. "I will," she promised.   
*Oh I will. And please know that I will always care about you   
Darien. Please remember that.*  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "The Moment to Decide. Once to every man and   
nation comes the Moment to Decide, in the strife of Truth with   
Falsehood, for the good or evil side." -James Russell Lowell.  
@}--- "What the world needs are fewer rules and more   
good examples." -Unknown.  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter 8

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: Gasp! Could it be! A new love interest! Or a love   
lost before it started? Oh, the plot-twist! He, he he he he he.  
  
By the way, this is another one that if you have lost or misplaced   
your sense of humor please return once you have located a new   
one.  
  
  
Chapter 8  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Ami, Greg!! Over here!" Serena waved frantically to her friends   
who were just entering the café. They quickly made their way to   
the table she had picked out. Serena gave her friend a hug and   
gushed over how long it had been since she had seen her, even   
though it was only two weeks since the old group had gotten   
together for dinner.  
  
"It hasn't been that long, but yes it is good to see you. I've been so   
busy lately with schoolwork that I hardly have to time to e-mail   
Lita. Have you talked to her lately?"  
  
"Yeah, I called her up Monday. She's doing totally great and she   
loves her teacher," she giggled. "I wouldn't be surprised if she   
thought he looked like her old boyfriend!" There was groaning   
from both of them. "So, where is Ken? Didn't he want to come?"  
  
"No, he has a biology class during lunch. He doesn't have a break   
until one o'clock," Ami explained.  
  
"Bummer."  
  
"Yes, it would be nice if we had more classes with him. Greg and   
I were lucky that so many of our classes are the same. It makes it   
very nice to study together this way."  
  
"I bet it is," she commented evilly. The two had been 'dating' for   
two years now. Although she couldn't remember the last time   
she'd heard that they actually went out some place. Their   
definition of a date was chips and pop during a three-hour study   
session. And the worst part was that they actually STUDIED!  
  
"So, Serena, I thought Darien would be with you. Don't you   
usually have lunch together?" Greg inquired.  
  
"Oh, we do, but he said that he'd go with Dr. Benton and his wife.   
Something he needed to talk over anyway I guess. Really it was   
just an excuse. I know he figured that I could use some time with   
my friends alone. Besides, it's Friday, we always have a little   
powwow Friday nights anyway."  
  
"Really?" Amy seemed interested in the news. "I didn't think you   
were dating."  
  
"We're not!" she squeaked. "No, no, we're just friends. We've   
just kinda made a habit of going out and doing something together   
on Fridays. Purely innocent! It kind of started back when he was   
working and I wasn't so I usually only saw him on the weekends.   
So Fridays just kind of became our day." She laughed a little   
nervously. Why she didn't know, but she really didn't want her   
friends thinking something like that.  
  
"Oh, I see," Ami said in that calm manor of hers. Greg nodded but   
didn't say anything.  
  
"So, what about you two?" she changed the subject, "Anything I   
should be knowing about?" She propped her elbows on the table   
and set her chin on her hands. She rather enjoyed the little   
embarrassed glance they gave each other. Greg was finally the one   
to answer.  
  
"Nothing really new to report on," he said with a laugh.  
  
"Drat! Oh, well." The conversation was kept rather light   
throughout the meal. Talk of where the other group of friends   
were and what news they gotten on them. But Serena still had a   
card up her sleeve that she was dying to play. But it just wasn't   
getting brought up.  
  
"Um, Ami… I kind of wanted to talk to you about something,"   
she started.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, do you know anyone in the physics department at the   
University?"  
  
"No, I don't believe so, but there may be one in some of my gen-ed   
classes. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, you wouldn't happen to know a Neil Arden would you?"   
she asked with a hint of a smile on her face.  
  
"No, I don't believe so." She looked to her companion who stared   
back blankly at her.  
  
"I don't know him either," he mumbled. "Should we?"  
  
"No, no reason you should. I just wondered because… well…"   
she trailed off for effect.  
  
"Because you know him?" Ami finished.  
  
"Or because you are involved with him?" Greg interjected.  
  
For some reason she reflected he always had a way of knowing   
things a head of time. "Well, I'm not going to say I'm involved or   
anything. But I have to admit he is really cute. He works with Dr.   
Benton, my boss, as an aid of some sort. I met him at that grand   
opening thing I told you about. Well, I've gotten to talk to him   
more since then and I really kinda like him."  
  
She bit her lip and waited for a response. Ami giggled and Greg   
looked at her with admiration. "So you just kind of picked up on   
him?" he asked.  
  
"No! We've just talked but I really do think he might be getting up   
the nerve to ask me out. He's done an awful lot of asking about   
Darien and I's relationship anyhow."  
  
"And you like him?" Ami asked.  
  
"Yeah, there isn't much not to like. He's in his third year at the   
University and he hopes to come to work at the Center afterwards.   
He's really smart and he has a great sense of humor! Did mention   
he's really cute?!" she giggled at herself.  
  
  
"Well, is everyone still alive and well?" Darien asked walking into   
their office.  
  
She laughed and nodded. "Everyone but Chad, I heard that Rei   
finally got really mad at him for something and killed him with her   
bare hands. I think her lawyers are going to try and claim   
temporary insanity!"  
  
Darien stood with a thoughtful expression on his face then   
regarded her. "Well if anyone can get away with it, it would be   
Rei."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought." She waited for him to sit down.   
"So… what happened at your lovely luncheon with the boss guy?"  
  
"Nothing of much importance," he shrugged. "Oh, but I am going   
to spend a night with him up in the observatory. Probably not until   
next week though."  
  
"Oh, why put off the honeymoon?"  
  
He turned in his chair to regard her with a sour expression. "Sorry   
to disappoint your warped little romantic mind but he's not really   
my type."  
  
"What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Well, he's male for one thing."  
  
"Now you sound like Dad," she teased.  
  
"Yeah, sue me!" He laughed at her. "Speaking of romantic   
involvements, I had a rather unusual conversation with one Neil   
Arden this afternoon when I came in. He seems very interested in   
a certain young partner of mine."  
  
Serena nearly jumped out of her chair at the mention of his name.   
"No way! He asked about ME! Oh, what did he say?! More   
importantly," she sobered, "what did you say?"  
  
He laughed again and gave her an evil look, which on Darien could   
be extremely scary. "Don't worry, I didn't mar your image. If   
anything I managed to mention the fact that you were very much   
available."  
  
"No way! Oh, Darien, thank you!!" She jumped up and hugged   
him as much as she could with him still seated.  
  
"I take it you like the guy," he muttered into her hair.  
  
"Totally!!" she said standing back from him.  
  
"I figured you might, although I never heard you say a word about   
him." He gave her a dubious expression.  
  
"I didn't know if you'd met him or not," she said lamely.  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"OK, so I figured you'd try talking to him and starting something   
and well mess everything up," she confession.  
  
"Me! When have you ever known me to interfere in one of your   
relationships?"  
  
"You told me you'd go beat up Josh if I wanted you to."  
  
"I meant that. The guy was a jerk the way he treated you, I still   
can't believe you stayed with him as long as you did. But I mean   
really interfering. I think you're getting me confused with   
Andrew. He was notorious for that. I'm just the one that gets to   
pick up your pieces afterwards."  
  
"Yeah, I know that feeling all too well. But OK, I owe you an   
apology. But what did he say!?" she asked excitedly.  
  
He laughed again. "Not much really. He just asked about you.   
We were talking about that observatory night and somehow you   
just popped up."  
  
"Ooooohhhh," she signed all heart eyed.  
  
"Serena? You still in there?" he asked while waving a hand in   
front of her face. She slapped at it and walked back to her desk.  
  
"I'm here and just fine thank you."  
  
  
Serena pushed open her apartment door and held it for Darien.   
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said as he made an   
appraising sweep around the room.  
  
"I kind of like what you've done with the place Meatball Head."  
  
"Thank you." She dropped her purse on the chair and turned to the   
kitchen. "Do you want anything? Water, milk, juice." She   
opened her refrigerator then closed it again. "Well, water," she   
muttered.  
  
Laughing he shook his head. He wondered around the room and   
finally stood in front of her balcony doors admiring the view. She   
took the chance to slip into her bedroom and change. Nothing   
fancy for tonight they'd decided so she threw on a little red skirt   
and a white sleeveless button down shirt. She tucked it in quickly   
and hurried back to the living room.  
  
Darien had disappeared. She looked around and back into the   
kitchen but he was no where to be seen. She finally noticed that   
the balcony door was open and her newly hung curtains were   
blowing slightly. She smiled to herself and walked out after him.  
  
"Not bad huh?" she asked coming up behind him.  
  
"Not bad at all," he said leaning against the railing.  
  
She stood there too and let the light breeze play with her long hair   
and skirt. She thought over how many times the two of them had   
lounged around on his balcony and just talked or not talking.   
Much like now there was just a comfortable silence around them.  
  
On a whim she wrapped her arm through his and leaned her head   
against him. He seemed surprised at first but relaxed again   
quickly. She smiled to herself. She understood why so many   
people believed there was something more to them than just an   
average friendship. They were most certainly not average. But   
she couldn't describe it either. It was just him, and that comfort   
that she always felt with him.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Do you think we're too close to be just friends?" she asked.  
  
"Too close to be friends and too argumentative to be in love," he   
commented simply.  
  
She laughed at the joke then sobered again. "So what does that   
make us?" she asked looking up at him.  
  
He continued to stare out at the city for a minute before answering.   
"I don't know. But I don't think I mind where we're at," he added   
looking down at her.  
  
She looked into his eyes and realized that that was the only answer   
she would probably ever get. But it was also the one she had   
wanted. She smiled at him before leaning her head back on his   
arm. Yes, this was what she needed.  
  
  
"OK, so I still don't get it. If the killer was her husband, why   
didn't she know it again?" she asked as they once again walked   
back into her apartment.  
  
"Well, I doubt he advertised the fact by bringing it up at the dinner   
table. 'Well, honey, what did you do today?' 'I shot and killed a   
nineteen-year-old girl with long blond ponytails and buried her in   
our basement. What did you do?'" He swatted at her hair for   
emphasis.  
  
"Oh stop! I just mean if my husband was a serial killer and trying   
to kill me I think I'd find out about it before he finally pointed a   
gun at me."  
  
"Serena, it was movie. Chill out," he commented. "It was all for   
effect anyway."  
  
"Yeah, well, I didn't like it."  
  
"Neither did I. For once I'd like to see a movie where the killer   
was halfway intelligent. They always make the heroines seem so   
helpless and defeated until the guy screws up and then they get to   
kill him." He walked over to her couch while she threw her purse   
on her desk and grabbed a bag of cookies that her mother had sent   
over.  
  
"I know. All she did was cry and whine and fall down all the time.   
I'd like to see a movie were the heroin was halfway intelligent,"   
she muttered.  
  
"Sounds just like you doesn't it? But agreed, next time we go to   
see a—OOOOUUCH!!"  
  
"Darien!" she rushed over to him. He stood now staring down at   
the couch he had just jumped up from still rubbing his lower back.  
  
"That thing just stabbed me!" he said still staring at it like it was   
possessed. She couldn't help but try to hold in the laughter. But   
she failed miserably. "Oh, and I suppose you think this is funny,"   
he growled at her.  
  
"No! I" giggle, "don't either." Laugh, laugh, "I know, it" giggles,   
"did that to me too." She finally broke into all out laughter. "I'm   
sorry, I forgot to warn you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, just keep laughing," he grumbled still rubbing his   
back. "I'm bleeding and you're just having a grand ol' time."  
  
"I'm sorry," she said sobering completely now. She didn't want   
him to be hurt. She walked around behind him. "Here, let me   
see," she said intent on helping him.  
  
"No way!" He spun around again. "I mean, I'm fine. Really."  
  
"You just said you were bleeding. Now let me make sure you're   
OK."  
  
"I was just overreacting. I'm fine," he said taking a step away   
from her.  
  
"No you're not. What is it?" she asked giving him an extremely   
funny look.  
  
"I'm not letting a women who thinks a have a 'cute backside'   
anywhere near that region of my body!"  
  
He took another step back. And she exploded into laughter. She   
couldn't stop for anything. She could feel the tears coming to her   
eyes and she realized that she couldn't even catch her breath. If   
she didn't stop she was going to die of suffocation!  
  
"You realize you can stop anytime here right?" he asked glancing   
at his watch in contempt.  
  
It only served to make her laugh harder and she doubled over still   
unable to breathe. She ended up kneeling on the floor in front of   
the couch holding her midsection with both arms.  
  
"You do know you're giving me a phobia about being laughed at   
here right?" he asked walking up to stand above her. She   
vigorously shook her head back and forth to make him stop so that   
she could calm down and breathe. "Don't shake your head at me   
young lady!" he commented.  
  
"Stop!" she gasped between laughs. "Can't… breath!" she   
choked.  
  
"Good! You deserve it! Laughing at me like a hyena."  
  
She completely collapsed as she laid her head on the floor with her   
arms still wrapped around her waist so that she was curled into a   
ball. Racking laughter still came from her but she was trying   
desperately to breathe. All she could get were small gasps and her   
sides hurt horribly.  
  
She heard Darien laugh from above her and she felt him reach   
around her waist and pull her over so she wasn't in a ball any   
longer. He had knelt down beside her and brought her up so that   
she lay against his chest. She still laughed but not nearly as much.   
Her breathing slowly recovered and she simply laid there in his   
arms.  
  
When the pain in her sides dissipated she slowly sat up and moved   
out of his grasp. "You realize you nearly killed me don't you?"   
she asked with venom dripping in her voice.  
  
He chucked again at her and simply shrugged. "Sorry," he   
muttered.  
  
"Sorry! I'll show you Sorry!" She punched him rather hard in the   
ribs and managed to only make her hand hurt for the trouble. "I'll   
find a way to make you pay for that!" she said instead.  
  
He laughed again and snagged her while she was attempting to   
stand up. She fell again into his embrace and he held there. He sat   
back against the low coffee table and leaned her against him. She   
rather ungracefully pulled her skirt down as far as she could.   
Sitting on the floor was not the most ladylike place to be wearing a   
skirt like that.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her quietly. "I didn't mean to giggle   
you to death."  
  
"Well, you almost killed me," she grumbled.  
  
"Actually no. You would have run out of air and passed out. You   
wouldn't have died, you would have just looked like it for a   
while."  
  
"Oh what a happy thought! And you find this amusing."  
  
"Well you certainly found mine amusing."  
  
She laughed again at the memory. "Yours was amusing. Do you   
really think I would try something to you?"  
  
"I don't know. But I don't want to find out."  
  
"What?!" She pushed away from him and looked up into his eyes.   
"I wouldn't even want to try something like that and you know it!"  
  
"Do I?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"You give the man one compliment and he doesn't trust you   
anymore! And you said you'd always trust me," she said with a   
pout.  
  
"First off, that was not meant as a compliment and you know it.   
And second of all, I will always trust you. Just not where certain   
things are involved."  
  
"Oh, so this is a conditional type of trust. I see."  
  
He smiled at her and pulled her closer again. "My heart and my   
soul I trust you with, it's the rest of me that I have a harder time   
turning over to you."  
  
"Usually it's the other way around," she smiled.  
  
"I know. But you've already taken those two without my consent   
so I'm trying very hard to hang on to the rest." He wrapped his   
arms tighter around her and placed his chin over the top of one of   
her 'meatballs'. She easily slid into his embrace and stayed there.  
  
"Anything I've taken from you is just in retaliation for what   
you've stolen from me."  
  
"Not stolen. Borrowed."  
  
"Borrowed?" she repeated a little confused by the statement.  
  
"Yes. Without the intention of returning."  
  
She laughed easily with him. "Isn't that the same as steeling?"  
  
"No, because some day you may want them back and I'll be forced   
to give them to you." He sounded just a little softer and more   
serious.  
  
"I won't ask for them back," she said easily. "Because I want a   
promise from you."  
  
"A promise?"  
  
"Yes, I want you to promise me that twenty years from now you'll   
still be on my couch, or floor in this case, and you'll still be mean   
and cruel to me."  
  
There was a short pause. "Twenty years is a long time to keep this   
up—"  
  
"No." She pushed herself away from him just enough to look at   
him. "I want us to always be close. I mean if we're going to work   
together all the time it's bound to happen anyway."  
  
"And what happens when Mr. Right comes along, sweeps you off   
your feet, and decides he'd rather have this beauty locked away at   
home with his children? Not to mention frowning on someone   
who berates his wife on her own sofa. Where do I fit in then?"  
  
She was off balanced by his words. Something in them carried a   
knife right through her heart. For a minute she felt fear. Real and   
emotional fear. "It'll never happen," she breathed.  
  
"Yes it will. You're too young, beautiful, and full of life to not   
have it happen. Sure some of those things won't. But we will   
grow apart."  
  
"No! I—"  
  
"Nothing you can do to stop it. Change can't change, remember?"   
he asked looking straight into her eyes. This was not something   
new to him. He had probably thought this all through many times   
before. But it was new to her and she didn't like it at all.  
  
"I don't want us to split apart. Darien, I need you…" She stopped   
not knowing how to say what she felt.  
  
"No, you won't someday. Until then, I'll be here." He gently   
pulled her back to him. "Until then, just let me hold you close."  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Nothing is so strong as gentleness; Nothing so   
gentle as real strength." -Francis de Sales.  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 9

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Oh! Serena and Neil? Darien and… don't you want   
to know!  
  
  
Chapter 9  
*@}---*  
  
  
*That man works entirely too hard!* Serena sat at her desk just   
watching Darien sitting across the room from her. His back faced   
her as he poured over the classification problem he was working   
on. A huge textbook looking thing laid open to his left side.   
Probably for the formulas and calculations he needed she figured.   
A pad of paper sat to his right and a pencil was still held in hand.   
His computer screen was flashing up different numbers that he was   
punching in. None of which she understood in the least.  
  
"Are you just going to stare at me like that all day?" he asked   
without turning around. She hadn't been aware that he'd noticed   
her.  
  
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm waiting. I already finished that folder   
you gave me," she said simply. He was the one that actually had to   
do the work here. She just typed in the correlation thing-a-  
maggies. Which was something she couldn't do if he hadn't found   
them yet.  
  
"Sorry. This one doesn't seem to like me much," he muttered   
while scribbling down something on the paper pad.  
  
"No hurry on my part," she said slouching in her chair. She   
decided that the window's view would probably be more   
appreciative of her attention than he was. Although between the   
two, Darien was much more interesting.  
  
It was a beautiful day outside and she was stuck in here doing, well   
nothing for the moment. But she should be outside on a day like   
this. She heard the taps of computer keys and involuntarily looked   
over to see what he was doing. He entered in whatever numbers he   
came up with off of the pad in front of him and set the computer to   
calculate the distance to the star he was working with.  
  
A few quiet moments and the computer blinked back a number in   
red at the bottom of the screen. A number, she noted, that must   
have been wrong. Darien threw his pencil down and let out a   
frustrated moan.  
  
She smiled a bit to herself as he leaned back in his chair staring at   
the computer screen like he could melt it into oblivion with the   
right expression. Feeling sorry for him she stood up and quietly   
walked over to him. She slid her arms around his neck like she   
always did and leaned her chin on his shoulder. He didn't even   
move.  
  
She looked at the little red number at the bottom. It looked like a   
perfectly good number to her; but then again, she had no idea what   
she was looking for. Grudgingly he turned away from the screen   
to the paper he had been scribbling on. "Sorry, Serena, this   
miserable little star really doesn't like me."  
  
"Hey, like I said, no hurry on my part," she mumbled. "Just don't   
kill yourself trying to find the stupid thing." She knew how he got   
when he was frustrated, granted it didn't happen that often. He   
wouldn't stop until he had it figured out. *He can be such a   
perfectionist sometimes,* she mussed.  
  
"I may kill something but it won't be me," he muttered to the   
computer screen.  
  
She laughed lightly trying to lighten his mood. It didn't help to be   
mad at the computer. She knew from experience. "Do you want   
some coffee or something?" she asked.  
  
He finally seemed to realize what she was trying to do and sighed.   
He leaned back and closed his eyes for a minute. "Yeah, maybe   
that would help," he murmured.  
  
"I'll get you some. Relax for a minute. It'll come to you, I'm   
sure," she whispered in his ear and landed the tiniest peck of a kiss   
on his jaw line. He nodded slightly and she slipped away and out   
of the room.  
  
*Poor Darien, it hasn't been a good day.*  
  
"Serena! Uh, hi."  
  
She was shaken out of her thoughts by a voice that she was getting   
to know rather well. She looked up to find a tall brown hared man   
standing just down the hall in front of her. Green eyes looked back   
at her a little shyly.  
  
"Oh, hi Neil!" she said smiling. She quickly walked up to him.   
"What does the good doctor have you up to today?" she asked   
noting that he had just left the Bentons' office.  
  
"Just odds and ends."  
  
"I see." This was fast becoming a losing conversation. *What do I   
say? Let's see, what's happening around here? Think, think!*   
"Oh, uh, are you going to be in on that little observatory party I   
keep hearing about?"  
  
"Oh, yeah! Dr. Benton asked if I'd come out too. I think he   
decided on this Friday night. I'm real…" Serena didn't hear   
anymore than that. *Wait! You can't go Friday! We had plans,   
you can't go on our night!!*  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Huh?" she muttered before realizing that she'd spaced out in front   
of her own love interest! "Oh! Sorry, I was just thinking. So   
you're excited about going out?" she asked trying to remember   
what he'd just said.  
  
"Definitely. Astronomy is something I've always loved."  
  
She smiled at the comment. Darien was here for physics; Neil was   
here for the stars. Somehow, she didn't understand either of them.  
  
"So, um, I was k-kind of wondering something," he said finding   
the hallway's wall very interesting.  
  
Serena held her breath. She'd seen that slightly uncomfortable   
'please don't think I'm a freak' look before. The slight stutter and   
the nervous hand to the back of the head were dead give-aways.   
*No way, no way, no way, noway, noway, nway, NWAY!! He's   
going to ask me out!!*  
  
"I was kind of wondering if you wanted to maybe go out and do   
something Saturday? That is if you're not busy or anything I   
mean. If you are, well, then maybe some other time—"  
  
"I'd love to!" she cried before he could say anything else. She   
beamed a smile at him which he returned gratefully.  
  
"So then, um, maybe say dinner and a movie?" he asked.  
  
"Sounds like fun! Should I meet you somewhere or do you want   
to pick me up?"  
  
"I'll pick you up. If you don't mind me knowing where you live   
that is," he added more confident with the conversation.  
  
"I don't mind," she said nearly drooling over his smile.  
  
"OK, may I have an address then?" he asked.  
  
"Sure! Do you have a pen?" She glanced to the clipboard and pile   
of folders he was holding.  
  
"Oh sure!" he said trying to maneuver the pile without dropping   
them all over the floor. "Um, OK, one sec," he muttered still   
trying to reach the end of the stack. She laughed as he pulled a   
blank sheet of paper off of the clipboard and tried to hand her the   
pen which was still locked into a hand full of papers. Without   
much ceremony she slipped the pen out of his hand for him and   
took the paper he offered. She used the wall beside her to write   
down her address and apartment number.  
  
"OK, there you are. She said handing him the paper and tucking   
the pen back into his hand for him.  
  
He laughed in response to her helpfulness. "OK, then I guess I'll   
see you at like what? Six?"  
  
"OK, sounds great," she said feeling very anxious for the weekend   
already.  
  
"OK"  
  
"OK."  
  
"OK. I'll see you then," he said backing down the hall the way   
he'd come.  
  
"Yeah," she said backing the other way.  
  
"OK," he waved slightly with the pile of folders still in hand. She   
smiled again and waved back before commanding herself to turn   
around and walk back to her office.  
  
She caught sight of him doing the same and she walked quickly   
down the hall and slid into the office before leaning against the   
door for support and sighing loudly.  
  
"It took you an awful long time to get coffee," a voice popped into   
her head.  
  
"What?" she asked turning to see Darien typing quickly.  
  
He turned around to look at her oddly.  
  
She gasped. "Coffee! Oh," she said looking back out into the   
hallway. "Oh, gee."  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Sorry, I kind of got caught up in something," she said with a huge   
grin painted on her face.  
  
"Oh?" he asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
She giggled uncontrollably and walked over to hop up on top of his   
desk. "You are totally not going to believe who just asked me   
out!!"  
  
His jaw dropped in over exaggerated shock. "No way! Someone   
asked YOU out!"  
  
She smacked him in the arm for it but she was way too happy to do   
anything else. "Isn't it just the best! I can't believe it! He just   
walked up to me in the hall and we talked, and…" She trailed off   
as she thought of something.  
  
"And what?"  
  
She turned back to him perfectly serious. "Why didn't you tell me   
that Friday was the night Dr. Benton picked for that observation   
thing?"  
  
"Did what?" he asked completely confused.  
  
"Neil told me that he was going out with you guys Friday night."  
  
"Oh." He leaned back in his chair thinking. "I didn't know he   
made up his mind. I suppose Friday would be a good night to go.   
The weather is supposed to be nice and we can sleep in the next   
morning. I should probably go talk to him and figure out the   
details. But yes, I knew Neil was coming with us." He looked at   
her with an odd look in his eyes. "Of course you don't want to   
know who else has volunteered to tag along."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Take a wild guess."  
  
She smiled tightly. "Ida."  
  
"You got it."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She gave him a sympathetic little pat on the   
arm. "But that doesn't help my feelings any. What do you mean   
going out on our night!" she berated.  
  
"Maybe I can call in sick," he wondered out loud.  
  
"Yeah!!"  
  
"Somehow I don't think they'd appreciate me much though."  
  
"So! I'd appreciate you," she pouted.  
  
He laughed at her. "You already have one date, how many do you   
want?"  
  
"Two!" she said perfectly honest.  
  
"Well, one week without me won't kill you. Now scat so I can   
figure out this stupid star." He swatted at her and she jumped off   
of his desk.  
  
"But it's a tradition!" she whined. "One week will kill me. Just   
because you don't care doesn't mean that I don't either." She   
crossed her arms and walked over to the window to look out.  
  
"I didn't say I don't care. And I'll be just as heartbroken about it   
as you, but what else can we do?" he said typing away again.  
  
"I don't know," she contemplated the issue. "What time will you   
go up to the observatory? It wouldn't be until dark right? Maybe   
we can still do something."  
  
She heard the key strokes stop. "That might work."  
  
"Good!" She hugged him backwards as he continued to punch in   
numbers.  
  
"Great. So tell me about your date to be."  
  
She sighed and settled into her normal position with her head on   
his shoulder. "We're going out to dinner and a movie Saturday   
night," she said with a smile.  
  
"Well, he's original I'll give him that," he muttered.  
  
She brought a hand up and smacked him on the check. "It's a very   
normal date. I do believe we did the same thing last week."  
  
"Yeah, but I wasn't trying to impress you."  
  
"I should hope not. You made me pay my own way."  
  
"You have a job now."  
  
"Yes, and thanks to you, I also have a date." She again gave him a   
peck on the check.  
  
"Your welcome." He punched in another number and then told the   
computer to once again calculate. 5811283923.89277 showed up   
in red.  
  
"NO!"  
  
  
"So what are you guys going to do out there tonight anyway?"   
Serena asked from her position in his car's passenger seat.  
  
"We're going to do stars measurements," he said simply.  
  
"I thought that's what you did all day long?" she asked sounding   
confused once again.  
  
"No, I calculate out how far away they are by using the   
information that was gather by other people on different nights.   
Do you remember how I explained this before?" he asked.  
  
"The pool table thing right?"  
  
"Right. If you have the cue ball sitting in the middle of a pool   
table and you have a ball sitting in front of the two back pockets,   
you can hit either one that you choose because the cue ball will   
line up with it."  
  
"Unless you're really bad at pool like me."  
  
He gave her a look for interrupting and continued. "The reason   
you can choose either ball is because the position of the cue ball   
seems to change with respect to the other two balls that are father   
away from you. As you move around the table the ball in the   
middle looks like it moves with you but it doesn't. Do you   
understand that?"  
  
"Right, I think it looks like it moves to line up with the other balls   
but it really just sits there and I move around it."  
  
"Right! Now, since you see that ball move with respect to the   
background or the other two balls in this case, that means that that   
cue ball is closer to you than the two balls that didn't seem to   
move."  
  
"Oh Kay. So what does that have to do with a star?"  
  
"We do the same thing with the stars. Only our pool table is a lot   
bigger. We use the planet's rotation as the basis or ground. That   
means that the side of the pool table is like the Earth's orbit. We   
see where a star sits at when we are on one side of the orbit around   
the sun and once when we are on the other side of the sun. Or six   
months apart. Then we measure the distance that we see it moved   
in relation to the other more distant stars. That's when I come in."  
  
"You figure our how far away it is using those measurements," she   
said a little unsure.  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"I think I get it. Well, I get an extremely simplified version of it   
right?"  
  
"Well, yeah. But it's a good start." He smiled at her, "Besides, it   
took me a semester to figure that out."  
  
She laughed at him easily. "Well, then I'll just feel smart and   
never ask for anymore in depth explanations."  
  
"Deal. So we have eight hours before I have to report in for duty.   
What do we do?"  
  
"I thought he gave us the afternoon off so you could go home and   
sleep before going out tonight."  
  
"He did, but he doesn't have to know," he said with a smile.  
  
"He will if you fall asleep in the middle of whatever you're doing."  
  
"I will anyway. Measurements aren't really my thing. But then   
again, I could get into a lovely conversation with your date for   
tomorrow." A mischievous smile made its way to his face as he   
thought of the possibilities of that statement. That was until a   
small fist smashed itself into his arm. "Yeah!"  
  
"You go anywhere near him and I'll hurt you so badly that you   
won't be out of the hospital for a year!"  
  
He laughed at her little outburst while he pulled into the parking lot   
of her building. "OK, so no horror stories I promise. Besides, I   
kind of like the guy, why should I scare him off?"  
  
"You'd find a reason and a way." She unclicked her seat belt and   
got out of the car.  
  
He followed suit a little slower. She waited for him to catch up   
before entering the building. "You really do like him right?" she   
asked a little nervously.  
  
"Why shouldn't I?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I just wondered what you thought of him."  
  
"Since when have you needed my permission to date someone?"  
  
"Never," she said turning back to him pointedly. "It's just that I   
don't know him that well, and I'm not sure exactly what I'm   
getting myself into. I've never gone out with a guy that I didn't   
really know before."  
  
"Sure you have," he said thinking back. "What about that one guy   
Mina set you up with for that sweetheart dance? You never met   
him before."  
  
"That was different."  
  
"How?"  
  
"He was a friend of a friend. He came with references."  
  
"Do you want me to give Neil an application and tell him you'll   
get in touch?"  
  
"No! No, no and no!" She spun on him in the elevator startling an   
elderly lady who had followed them in. "I don't want you saying   
anything to the man about me. Unless it's good and something   
that I would approve of if I were standing right next to you, do you   
understand me?"  
  
"Yes ma'am." He hung his head and avoided her eyes.  
  
"Good. Now, no embarrassing stories, no insults, no telling secrets   
or quirks that I would find irritating. None of the above. And if in   
doubt about any of it just keep your mouth shut and play the part of   
the good little friend that wants the best for me."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else."  
  
  
"Well, ladies and gentlemen. May I introduce our true   
astrophysicists. This is John Blimber who has been with the   
foundation twenty-two years now and Miss Cora Sabre, who we   
have just managed to swipe away from the astronaut academy."   
The young women in mention smiled a bit nervously at Dr.   
Benton's joke.  
  
"These two are the ones losing sleep for all of those lovely   
numbers that the rest of you get to figure out." The two nodded in   
agreement as a round of 'I'm sorry' claps were heard around the   
room.  
  
Darien stood near the back of the group trying very hard to keep as   
much room between himself and Ida as possible. The   
introductions were then given for the rest of the group. Neil stood   
next to Dr. Benton as he labeled them all. Ida stood to his left and   
Darien and Romola complimented the group by standing next to   
the door. All together the seven of them didn't leave a whole lot of   
room left in the small observatory's domed top.  
  
"Well, John the group's all yours." Dr. Benton moved in order to   
be next to his wife during the remainder of the night's lab.  
  
"Thank you. The real reason we're out here is to give all of you   
nine to fiver's some appreciation for what us two night owls do out   
here. Now, you all come prepared with lovely degrees and   
diplomas, but we come with telescopes. And in particular, this one   
you see behind me, which is Cora's baby."  
  
As if on a set cue he handed the conversation over to his younger   
partner. As she stepped farther into the dimly lit room Darien   
could make out her features more clearly. And was a knocked a   
little off kilter by them. Long black hair shimmered down her full   
height, and radiated like she had somehow captured the starlight   
for herself. Her eyes flashed in the uncertain light but he couldn't   
quiet connect a color to them. Her features were pale and soft.  
  
Darien snapped back to attention when she began her speech in a   
certain, but light voiced way. "The Bane Observatory was two   
main sources for information gathering. One is the national radio   
telescope based in Tsukuba about 60 km away from us. It is   
manned by researches outside of our organization and the   
information is then sent to us. But the one tool completely devoted   
to our experimentation is Urania, named after the Greek muse of   
celestial forces. And for your information, yes, I got to name it.   
This is actually the front end of a ten-meter reflector telescope.   
The base and the instrument package that supply our eyes rests two   
levels below us."  
  
There were a few surprised faces throughout the room. "The dome   
above us sits on the highest obtainable peek on the island. This   
gives us quite a view of the stars when it's open…" Blimber, who   
had during this time wondered back towards the door beside   
Darien, manipulated a control next to the entryway. The dome   
swiveled and the lights fell to blackness. Above the ceiling   
lowered away and the group was left staring up into the starlit   
night.  
  
Cora's voice came again from the same spot, but no echo   
accompanied it this time. "This, is what you are trying to   
understand every day you sit in your offices." Staring up he could   
see her point. The sky loomed dark and mysterious. The stars   
played in bands and swirls overhead. They were up high enough   
and just out of the main stream of Tokyo to be able to see the sky   
in all majesty. And he had to admit, he was impressed.  
  
  
"This is the control room. The computer systems use pinpoint   
calculations to place our view in exactly the right place. The CCD,   
or electronic detectors known as Charge-Coupled Devices tell us   
where the star in question lies. It also maps the relative brightness   
and the location of the star according to other background stars.   
Once in six months when the Earth swings into the opposite side of   
its orbit, we take the same measurements. That's when the your   
group comes in." She waved a vague hand around the room.  
  
"Now," Mr. Blimber piped up from his post next to her. "We've   
oversimplified a lot of this but you will get to see this beauty in   
action before the night is over. And I don't mean my lovely   
assistant here," he said with a poke of an elbow to Cora. She   
blushed again, and Darien couldn't help but agree with the elder   
man.  
  
"But, now then, before we get started and our fingers dirty I would   
like to offer you the one thing that truly keeps this observatory up   
and operational. Caffeine!" There were a few sighs and laughs   
around the room and he was no exception. He had stopped   
checking his watch in order to somehow fool himself into   
believing it was earlier than it was. It wasn't working.  
  
*Maybe I should have stayed home and slept instead of going out   
with Meatball Head.*  
  
"Darien?"  
  
The voice belonged to a younger man. Probably twenty one   
knowing his grade in school but he didn't look a day over eighteen.   
An inch or two shorter than him and with much lighter features   
Neil stood before him now. And he was just the person he wanted   
to see.  
  
"Neil! I'm glad you came out with us. Of course this is more   
along your lines right? You're more of the astronomer than the   
physics type right?" he asked conversationally.  
  
"Yeah! This is totally great. I've been up here a few times, but I   
never get tired of it," he gushed.  
  
*He already sounds like Serena.* "You'll have to excuse me if I   
don't share the enthusiasm," he said with a yawn. "Although the   
light show up there was really something. My balcony doesn't   
really offer that good of a view."  
  
"Yeah, I know it was," he mumbled.  
  
Darien fazed off the conversation pointedly. The man in front of   
him hadn't just wondered over to his little corner for nothing. If   
anything Neil had spent a great deal of his time avoiding him since   
the Serena issue had been raised. *Let's see if I can get the two of   
us better aquatinted.*  
  
"So, I hear you're taking my favorite partner out tomorrow. Any   
idea what you're in for?" he asked with a knowing smile.  
  
The other looked a bit startled by the point-blankness of the   
question. He stuttered for a moment before finding the words he   
wanted. "She told you about it?"  
  
"Yeah, Serena tells me most things going on in life, and I must say   
you've come up a lot." He was trying very hard to keep the evil   
little smile off of his face.  
  
"Really?!" he yelped.  
  
"Really," he confirmed. The man stood there with a little glazed   
over look in his eyes for a moment. *Man, this kid's got it bad!*  
  
"I was wondering. Um… I really haven't a clue where to take her,   
and well, I know the two of you have been… friends for a long   
time. I thought maybe you could suggest a place?" Darien didn't   
exactly like the way he'd said 'friends' but he didn't dwell on it.  
  
"Sure. Let's see, Serena has a thing for the romantic setting," he   
mumbled while he pretended to be deep in thought. "Well, have   
you ever been to the Rose Garden? We went with a few other   
friends a couple months ago and she really seemed to like it. It's   
on Forty-fifth Street, right on the corner. It's definitely a high   
class sort of place, but the menu isn't going to break you." He   
nearly laughed at the sold out expression on his face. "But I have   
to warn you, she'll try and pay her own way," he added just for the   
heck of it.  
  
"Sounds totally great! I really do want to make a good impression   
on her." He once again fell into the dreamy little lost look and   
Darien was really finding out why Andrew was always so dead set   
on matchmaking everyone he was around. This was fun!  
  
But he didn't get the chance to say anything farther. A group of   
two was slowly making their way around the conversations going   
on in the coffee lounge they had been ushered into. Mr. Blimber   
and Cora made rounds, and they were headed in their direction.  
  
He took the moment before they arrived to make a quick   
observation of the lovely angel on Blimber's arm. She was tall and   
had the build of a health food nut. Her long dark hair swayed back   
and forth as she moved. Two silver combs twinkled as they caught   
the much better lighting in the common's room. She wore a black   
skirt that cut off close to her knees and a green shirt that   
complimented the dark emerald eyes that she was flashing towards   
him.  
  
*OK, Dare, when was the last time you started swooning over   
some girl you haven't even met yet? For that mater, when was the   
last time you swooned over anyone? Keep it together here would   
you?!* The odd pair sauntered up to the two younger men. "Well,   
now," Blimber said to Neil, "You're Norman's assistant right?   
Neil?"  
  
"Yes, sir. It's nice to meet you. And you as well Miss Sabre." He   
shook hands with both of them.  
  
"And, you must be the physicist the good doctor keeps bragging   
on. Daron is it?"  
  
"Uh, Darien sir." He shook the older man's hand anyway.  
  
"Oh, yes, sorry. Too many names to remember around here   
anymore." He chuckled good-naturedly.  
  
Darien simply smiled back and moved to shake hands with the   
beauty next to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss   
Sabre."  
  
She smiled a moment and he got a chance to stare into those dark   
eyes. "It's nice to meet you too, but please it's just Cora." She   
remembered to look over at Neil during the sentence.  
  
"Cora then," he muttered still holding her hand like an idiot.  
  
She smiled again as he noticed the wine coloring that graced her   
lips and fit so perfectly with her pale complexion. He began to   
wonder if mapping the stars above wasn't easier than trying the   
same thing with the sparkles in her eyes.  
  
*Whoa! You are really losing it here!!*  
  
A slight blush crept to her checks before he finally remembered to   
let her hand go. She seemed quiet but yet self-assured. And he   
liked it.  
  
"So, Daron, how has Norman been treating you so far? You're   
still here, I take that as a good sign," Blimber interrupted.  
  
"Darien," he corrected automatically. He was staring straight at   
the older man but all he could see was Her. "Dr. Benton is a   
wonderful person to work for. I really like it here, thank you." It   
sounded like some canned acceptance speech, but he was out of   
new ideas. Besides he was rather preoccupied with trying to come   
up with something else to say to Cora.  
  
"Yes, Darien, sorry," the man muttered trying again to commit it to   
memory.  
  
"Did I hear Dr. Benton correctly? Have you been with the   
foundation for twenty-two years already?" he asked thinking up a   
new tactic.  
  
"Yes, I guess I have. My that does make me an old timer doesn't   
it?" He paused thoughtfully, mumbling something to himself.  
  
He smiled politely before turning back to Cora who had kept rather   
quiet during the exchange. "I don't believe I caught how long   
you've been with the project."  
  
"This is my second year," she answered simply, with a smile.  
  
"Let me guess. They snagged you right out of college too." He   
laughed lightly at the common phrase used with the Bentons.  
  
She must have obviously gotten the same line because she laughed   
too. "Yes, actually they did."  
  
*It's weird, the color is completely wrong but why do her eyes   
remind me of Serena's?*  
  
"Well, my dear, I suppose we should get started. We have several   
things to get done tonight," Mr. Blimber said.  
  
"Yes, of course." She turned back to him, "It was nice to meet you   
Darien." Well, at least she got he's name right. "And you too   
Neil."  
  
They were already gone before he came back to Earth. *I don't   
know what that woman is, but she's not human!* He watched as   
they glided from the room to set up for the next episode of the   
night when he noticed it.  
  
"That's not fair." He muttered to himself before realizing that Neil   
was still beside him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing," he said coming fully back into reality once again. He   
then felt a light tap on the arm and turned to find Roloma standing   
next to him. "Oh, hello Romola."  
  
"Hello Darien. Do you have a minute?" she asked looking to Neil.  
  
"Oh, yeah," he said quickly noting that he was being a third party.   
"And, uh, thanks!" he said to Darien before heading off to Dr.   
Benton's side once more.  
  
"So what's up?" he asked as he and Romola found themselves   
alone.  
  
"First off, what was that!" she said indicating the door Cora and   
Mr. Blimber went through.  
  
"What was what?" he asked as innocently as he could.  
  
"You know what," she said with a look that told him that she'd   
seen everything.  
  
"It was harmless," he confessed instead. "But it's not fair."  
  
"What's not?"  
  
"She's married! I didn't notice the ring until they walked out," he   
grumbled.  
  
She laughed lightly beside him. "Actually no, she's just engaged."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, to John Blimber's son."  
  
"Oh." He mussed over the news. *No wonder he kept trying to   
forget my name.* "Oh, man that is so not fair!"  
  
"Now, you're starting to sound like Serena."  
  
"Sorry, I'm around her too much."  
  
"Yeah, well, you're not the first to think that. Although, you keep   
looking at her like that, I wouldn't be surprised if the poor girl had   
to call off the wedding for you!"  
  
"Really?" he pondered.  
  
"Darien!"  
  
"OK, I'm just kidding! But what is it about her that I can't get out   
of my head?" All he could think of was her and those drowning   
eyes.  
  
"She has that effect on people. Though, I didn't figure you'd be   
one of the ones influenced like that," she said a little disbelieving.  
  
"Sorry, I'm human," he mumbled.  
  
"I knew that. But that's not really the reason I wanted to talk to   
you."  
  
"Oh?" he asked happy to change the subject.  
  
"What's this rumor I hear about Serena dating Neil?" She eyed   
him closely as he began to laugh at her.  
  
"Who told you that?" he asked for fun.  
  
"Neil."  
  
"Then it's not hardly a rumor is it?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know." She looked across the room at him. "I really   
don't think I can see them together."  
  
"Why? Do you know something I don't?" he asked a little   
suspicious now.  
  
"No. Neil is a very nice boy, and I know he'll make someone a   
very lucky woman. I just didn't have Serena pictured, that's all."  
  
"Oh, I don't know," he said thinking. "He seems to have a good   
head on his shoulders, which is something she needs. And he   
really is gone over her already; I think it'll be fine. Besides, she's   
been alone for over a year now. Her last relationship didn't turn   
out very good. He was a class A jerk to her and she still stuck with   
him. Lot of good my advice did in that one, but that's way passed   
now."  
  
"I didn't know something like that happened to her." She sounded   
concerned which, he reasoned, knowing Romola she was.  
  
"Nothing to worry about now. It was a long time ago and she's   
been over him for a good, long time."  
  
"Oh." She paused still looking across at Neil. "So you don't mind   
them going out together?"  
  
"Why should I?" he asked.  
  
"No reason. I just wondered." They both turned back to see their   
two guilds walk back into the room.  
  
"It's just not fair," he muttered again.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "The greatest ability is dependability" -Unknown.  
@}--- "The best bridge between despair and hope is a   
good night's sleep" –E. Joseph Cossman.  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 10

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: All right, is anyone still out there? Mad at me are   
you? Well too bad! The goddess is having a great time of this.  
  
Enter a new boyfriend, and an even dearer friendship.  
  
  
Chapter 10  
*@}---*  
  
  
"It's just not fair," Serena mumbled to herself. She was clad in a   
cute little black dress and gold heart-charm jewelry. But she was   
bent over on hands and knees inside of her closet. "Why is it that I   
never seem to have enough shoes when I go shopping, but I have   
twenty different pairs when I'm trying to find the ones I want?"  
  
She threw boxes and other shoes out of the way and continued   
digging. "Hey!" she said spotting something in the back. "I didn't   
know I still had these!" She held up a pair of white flats that she   
hadn't worn in years. She wondered idly if they still fit. "Oh,   
well, I can try them on later." She tossed them aside before she   
finally laid hold of the pair she wanted.  
  
Only to discover that it wasn't a pair. One of the black heels that   
she had wanted lay in her hand but the other was a totally different   
kind of black heel. "OK, which ever of the mates I find first gets   
to be worn!"  
  
After a few more minutes of scrounging, she came up with a pair.   
Slipping them on she stood in front of her mirror and admired the   
outfit. *Oh, I hope this looks right! Maybe I should have added   
some hose. Am I too underdressed? Could it be too much? OK,   
breathe… in… out… in… out. I'll be fine. It's just a date; I'll be   
fine! Then why is my heart beating a mile a minute and my knees   
are going weak?*  
  
She fiercely told herself to calm down and relax. He would be   
here any second and she wanted to make a good impression. As   
long as she didn't totally klutz out in front of him she'd be just   
fine. *I hope!*  
  
There was a knock at the door and she jumped in spite of herself.   
Quickly recomposing she forced herself to walk to the door at a   
normal rate and paused just a second or two before opening it.   
Neil stood before her dressed in brown slacks and a brown striped   
shirt. OK so his fashion sense needed a little help, but what guy's   
didn't?  
  
"Hi, Neil!" she said enthusiastically.  
  
"Hello, Serena," he said in the same way. He pulled out a bouquet   
of flowers from behind his back and held them out to her   
nervously. "Uh, these are for you."  
  
She gasped at the unexpected present. No one had given her   
flowers before on their first date. How sweet! She snapped back   
to reality and opened the door wider. "I'm sorry, come in come   
in." She took the flowers from him and stood back to let him.   
Sticking her nose in them she giggled at herself. "Their beautiful,   
thank you so much! But, really you didn't have to."  
  
"I wanted to. Besides, you look especially beautiful yourself   
tonight."  
  
She blushed slightly and lowered her eyes for a moment before   
walking towards the kitchen. "Thank you," she said again as she   
fumbled through her cabinets for a glass tall enough to serve as a   
vase until she found a real one.  
  
"You really have a view from up here," he commented from   
behind her as he moved to look out of her balcony doors.  
  
"Yeah, it's great. I really love this place." She filled the glass   
with water and unwrapped the bouquet. She removed the paper   
and stuck them in only to find that they looked really stupid in a   
glass three times too big around for them. She sighed and told   
herself that tomorrow she would go out and buy a real vase.  
  
Walking back into the living room she smiled at her visitor again.   
"Thank you again, Neil."  
  
"No problem. Are you ready?" he asked crossing back to her.  
  
"Yeah! I even managed to find my shoes."  
  
  
Four hours later the couple made their way back to her apartment   
door. Aside from trying to use her spoon to cut her meat at dinner   
she had managed to avoid falling on her face or spilling something   
on him. All in all, it had been a good night, even if it was turning   
out to be a little less than magical.  
  
It wasn't Neil's fault. He had done everything right and it had   
been fun, but there was just something missing, or wrong, or…   
maybe she was just being too picky.  
  
"I had a good time tonight, Serena," he said as they stopped in   
front of her door. He slowly released her arm that he had taken,   
but stopped before letting go in order to hold her hand.  
  
"Me too," she said honestly enough. He was a nice person to be   
around, and he was easy to talk to. It shouldn't be hard to really   
like the guy.  
  
"Well," he looked at her door as if trying to come up with   
something else to say. "I guess I'll see you on Monday, right?"  
  
"Yeah, back to the grind already," she said trying to make the   
conversation a little lighter. He was certainly a focused type of   
person. Small talk really wasn't his thing she imagined.  
  
"Yeah." He paused a bit longer. "Well, I'll see you."  
  
"Yeah," that seemed to be their favorite word tonight. On the   
impulse of getting this over with she bounced up and hugged him   
lightly. "Thank you again, Neil."  
  
"Don't thank me. I had a great date." She pulled away enough to   
look at him with a slight blush growing on her checks.  
  
Without preamble he brought a hand up to her check and bent   
down to place a kiss on her lips. She softly returned it closing her   
eyes to savor it. His touch was gentle but without any real passion   
behind it. She waited for the lightheadedness and the quickened   
pulse rate that usually accompanied a kiss like this.  
  
But it never came.  
  
He pulled back and she looked up at him. His green eyes looked   
back at her with a warm nature behind them, but no true feelings.   
"Goodnight," he whispered. She mumbled something and he   
released her and walked back down the hallway as she let herself   
into her apartment.  
  
She closed the door and leaned against it. So that was it. No   
lightning, no thunder, no heart flutters, no nothing! What was   
wrong with her? A wonderful date like this and she didn't feel a   
thing for the man!  
  
She had been nit picking all night long about everything he did or   
said. Constantly comparing him and examining him like he was a   
test subject or something. What was she doing? It was like she   
was trying to find a reason not to like the guy. And that kiss…  
  
*Maybe I'm just not attracted to him the way I thought I was. But   
he's cute and he's smart and he has a great personality. What's   
wrong with him? Maybe I'm forcing myself too hard. It's just our   
first date, what was I expecting? Most guys don't come along and   
totally knock you off your feet with one kiss! I don't think.*  
  
With a frustrated sigh she flipped on the light and threw her purse   
on the coffee table. *So maybe he's not my Prince Charming. But   
he is charming.* She smiled to herself and walked into the kitchen   
to examine the flowers he had given her. A cluster of carnations   
and wild flowers looked back at her. Yes, tomorrow she would   
find a vase for them. But tonight she'd go to bed and wonder if   
she was being too hard on him and not truthful enough with   
herself.  
  
  
Ring… Ring… Ring… Rin-. Darien knocked the phone off of   
the bedside stand. He slowly brought it up to his ear. "'Ello?"  
  
"Darien? Did I wake you?"  
  
He rolled over with the phone still in hand. "Yes."  
  
"Oh, gee, I'm sorry." There was a pause before the perky little   
voice came back. "You're suppose to be home from your morning   
jog by now, what are you doing in bed?"  
  
"I was sleeping," he muttered still refusing to open his eyes. "It's   
Sunday, I don't go out jogging until the afternoon, if I go at all."  
  
"Oh! Well, learn something new everyday."  
  
"Most people do, but you have certainly given it a good shot to   
never learn anything." He repositioned his pillow under his head.  
  
"Boy, you are a grump in the mornings aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. What time is it?" he asked not willing to roll over and look   
at the clock.  
  
"It's, uh, seven-thirty."  
  
"And what exactly are you doing calling me at seven-thirty in the   
morning Miss 'If I don't get twelve hours sleep, you just don't   
want to know me.'"  
  
"Very funny. But I just called to chat. I'll call later, you may go   
back to bed sleepy head."  
  
"I haven't gotten out of bad, and you didn't call to chat."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
He laughed into the phone. "Because nothing short of a hypnotic   
suggestion would make you get out of bed before noon on a day   
that you didn't have to. I take it something happened last night   
with Mr. Right."  
  
"Actually, no, nothing happened."  
  
"What?" He finally opened his eyes.  
  
"It's kind of hard to explain."  
  
He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "Give it a   
try."  
  
"Well, he was really, really sweet. He even brought me flowers,   
and we went to the Rose Garden, which I assumed is because of   
something you said so please remind me to interrogate you later   
about what else you told him."  
  
"Sure, so you had a good time?"  
  
"Yeah, it was fun. I mean we got a long and everything."  
  
"So what's the problem?"  
  
"…He kissed me."  
  
Darien propped himself up on one elbow. "So? What, you don't   
kiss on the first date?"  
  
"No."  
  
"So what's wrong with him kissing you?"  
  
"I didn't feel anything…"  
  
He gave up and flopped back down in bed and snuggled the covers   
up around him again. "Define not feeling anything."  
  
"I don't know. It was like there should have been a spark, or a…   
something! But there just wasn't. There was just no attraction   
between us. I don't really understand. Aren't you suppose to feel   
something?"  
  
He chuckled lightly. "Do you remember after your first kiss you   
asked me if it always felt the same?"  
  
"Yes,"  
  
"I told you then that you were talking to a man that has very little   
experience in the matter. I haven't gotten any better lately."  
  
"Darien! I'm trying to be serious here!"  
  
He held the phone away from his ear in order to save his hearing.   
"So am I. I can't tell you what to feel or not to feel. But listen, so   
maybe you really aren't attracted to the guy. So what? It's   
happened a million times before throughout history, you're not the   
first don't worry."  
  
"But, I've never just not felt anything for someone I go out with.   
It's totally weird."  
  
"Serena, you've had a crush on almost every guy that you've dated   
that I can remember. It was different with them because you   
already had feelings for them. So maybe he didn't knock your   
shoes off. I don't think many relationships are ever based on   
whether they fall in love at first kiss. Now stop worrying and get   
off your couch and out of your pajamas."  
  
"How did you know I was still in my pajamas and on the couch?"  
  
He smiled into his pillow. "Because your phone sits in your living   
room and I'm sure you're stretched out on the couch trying to   
avoid the killer spring. You also never get up before noon most   
days, and if you aren't going anywhere or are upset about   
something you never bother to change into normal clothes."  
  
"Whoa, totally freaky! What do I need a boyfriend for when I   
have someone that knows me inside out anyway?"  
  
"Yes, and I still love ya. But getting back to Neil, what do you   
think he thought?"  
  
"I don't know. He said he had a good time, but so did I. He's a   
great person to be around, he really is."  
  
"You just don't like him kissing you."  
  
"Do have to make it sound so cold."  
  
"Isn't that what you said it felt like?"  
  
"No, I said I didn't feel anything. I didn't say I didn't like it."  
  
He again switched positions and rubbed his eyes. "You know   
what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think you have a lot more experience with this subject than me."  
  
"I can't help it if you have a pathetic excuse for a love-life."  
  
"Gee, thanks."  
  
There was a laugh from the other end of the phone line. "I'm   
sorry, but what am I going to do about this?"  
  
"It's funny. The one man on Earth who has the most 'pathetic   
excuse for a love-life' is the one who always seems to get the   
romance questions."  
  
"You have better advice than everyone else."  
  
"How?"  
  
"If I knew, I wouldn't ask you."  
  
"Oh. OK, well, you have two choices my dear." He finally sat up   
with a yawn. "You can either end it now and go on your merry   
little way, or you can stick with it and see where you end up."  
  
"So dump him, or see if I can turn the frog into a prince."  
  
"You got it."  
  
"What if he really likes me and I never like him back? What if I   
hurt him?"  
  
"Someone gets hurt in every relationship. That's just how they   
work. The question is how bad the damage will be."  
  
There was a long pause from the other end. "Do you really believe   
that?"  
  
"Believe what?" he asked innocently.  
  
"I think I just found out why you have no experience with   
relationships."  
  
He sighed and flopped back in bed again. "Maybe you did."  
  
"Come on Darien. The reason for dating is so you can find that   
one person in life that you can't be without. The one person that   
you'll always be with."  
  
"I thought we were talking about your problems."  
  
"We just switched."  
  
He stared up at the ceiling again not really seeing anything.  
  
"Darien, I know you have always pushed people away from you.   
You're afraid to be close to someone, and afraid to lose them. But   
surly this is different. I mean, we're talking about love here! You   
can't tell me that you never want to fall in love with someone."  
  
He remained quiet taking in her words. Love. Probably the most   
overrated word in existence. But it was the one word that he   
would never hear. He didn't mean to be so pessimistic, but he   
couldn't open himself up that much. It was hard enough to know   
how vulnerable he was to Serena let alone with someone he openly   
loved. The fear of losing them would be more than he could take.  
  
"Darien? You still there?"  
  
"Yes, just thinking."  
  
"Listen, I know you too well to think that you haven't thought this   
through a thousand times before. But think about this again will   
you? There has to be something worth living for, and I know that   
something is a lot better than just your stubborn will."  
  
He smiled unconsciously at her while she continued. "You have   
friends Darien. Friends that care about you. And you have me!   
And this is me talking some sense into you. You can't live in the   
past and don't need to. Everyone on the face of this planet has the   
same fears of losing those close to them as you do! They don't   
realize it nearly as much because they haven't lost anyone yet. But   
don't believe for one minute that no one else lies awake at night   
afraid that the people they love won't be with them in the   
morning."  
  
He closed his eyes, the truth of her words rang much too clear in   
his mind. He'd heard them before of course, but Serena always   
had a way of putting things into terms that his heart understood,   
even if his brain didn't. "So get off my butt and do something with   
myself, is that it?"  
  
"No, just don't hide from something that you don't know."  
  
That was the phrase he didn't want to hear. He didn't want to   
admit he was afraid, scared to death of that pain ever happening   
again. But he was.  
  
"Darien, loving someone and losing them is a lot easier than never   
loving them at all. You should know that."  
  
"I know." He couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew   
very well that Serena knew him better than he did sometimes and   
this was one of them. She could always see through him when it   
counted.  
  
"Good!" she said triumphantly. "So what are we going to do about   
me?"  
  
  
"So now, tell me about this Cora chick."  
  
Once again Darien was unprepared for one of her questions.   
Funny, she should have run out of things to surprise him with   
about three years ago. "Who?" he muttered instead.  
  
"You know who! I had a lovely conversation with Neil about your   
supposed infatuation with some girl you've never seen before. I   
found it a very amusing story to listen to."  
  
"You know, I really do think you should dump the guy," he   
grumbled.  
  
Serena laughed at him as they continued their walk around the   
park. The rose gardens were out in full force once again before the   
coming winter, and they were more beautiful than she   
remembered. "Too bad. Now spill."  
  
"What's to say?"  
  
"Well, you can start with the description of why the only man I   
know that wouldn't find a beauty pageant winner pretty would be   
knocked off his feet by some astronomer-type whatever."  
  
"Astrophysicist."  
  
"Right, Whatever."  
  
He chuckled a bit at her before opening up. "I don't really know   
what it was. She just seemed different."  
  
"Different as in the most beautiful woman you've ever seen or   
different as in she had two heads?"  
  
"I think I would have noticed an extra appendage." He gave her a   
sour look and continued his walk.  
  
"Oh, come on Darien! Tell me would you? I'm curious as to what   
type of woman finally manages to turn your head." She stopped   
him with a hand on his arm and guided him towards a park bench.  
  
"You're totally set on this aren't you?"  
  
She swore he was dragging his feet. "Yes! You make me tell you   
every detail of my life but you won't tell me a single thing about   
yours. Now sit down!" She practically threw him at the bench.  
  
"I don't force you to tell me anything."  
  
"Sure you do! Every time something goes wrong you   
automatically pop into my head and this little voice says 'tell   
Darien, he'll know what to do.' So I do."  
  
"And this is my fault how?"  
  
"You're always in my head," she mumbled sitting down beside   
him.  
  
"Oh Kay."  
  
"So come on, tell me about her."  
  
He leaned back to get a little more comfortable on the cement   
bench before responding. "She's engaged. How's that for   
information."  
  
She looked at him shocked for a moment. Neil hadn't told her   
that. Of course maybe he didn't know either. "I didn't know that."  
  
"Yeah, neither did I until I caught sight of the ring, which was of   
course after I made an idiot out of myself."  
  
"Uh-oh," she said to herself.  
  
"Yeah, and guess what, she's marrying Mr. Blimber's son."  
  
"Mr. Blimber?"  
  
"The primary astrophysicist at the Observatory, they work   
together."  
  
"Oh." It was all she could think to say. She had wanted to find   
someone that could be a suitable match for Darien, and by Neil's   
descriptions she would have been perfect. *Why are the good ones   
always taken?* "So what was it about her?"  
  
"I don't know." He looked over to her with an odd expression.   
"Why?"  
  
"Just wondering," she shrugged, "I have to know what I'm looking   
for right?"  
  
He popped off the bench like he'd been shot. "No! N. O. NO!   
The last thing I need is someone else constantly on my case about   
this girl or that. Andrew still hasn't given up and he's bad enough   
for both of you so just get that idea out of that pretty little head of   
yours!"  
  
She laughed uncontrollably at him. It didn't seem to help maters   
any.  
  
"Serena, I'm serious! You were the one griping at me just this   
morning about finding someone. I do not need help! At least in   
this mater." He grudgingly sat down again. "I still think I should   
have my head examined for having you two as friends. I must   
have psychological damage after all these years," he muttered.  
  
She was still laughing but instead of hitting him for the comment   
she hugged him. He almost unwillingly hugged her back. "OK,   
I'm sorry. I promise no blind dates. But still, I want to know   
about the one and only person I've ever heard of actually getting   
under your skin." She looked up at him with a knowing smile on   
her face.  
  
He didn't argue. "I'm not really sure what it was. She was   
beautiful. Quiet, or reserved maybe, but she was also comfortable   
with people. Does that make sense?" He didn't wait for a   
response. "She seemed very sweet and open. She just had this   
little magical air about her; I can't explain it. Otherwise she   
was…"  
  
Serena looked up at him as he trailed off. There was something   
that he wasn't telling her. "Was what?"  
  
"I don't know. It's really odd, but the whole time I kept   
comparing her to you."  
  
She didn't find it all that odd. "That's kind of like me. I kept   
comparing Neil to you the whole night. No mater how much I told   
myself to cut it out I couldn't help it."  
  
He looked at her a little amused. "So does that mean if I asked you   
out you won't like me anymore either?"  
  
"I don't know." She leaned her head back on his shoulder. "You   
know, the two of you are a lot alike. But there's also a lot of   
differences."  
  
"No two people are made alike."  
  
"Maybe." She thought. She'd spent most of last night thinking   
about this too. Could that be why she liked Neil to start with,   
because he reminded her of Darien? It was possible; she would   
have to admit that she wouldn't mind dating someone like him.   
But maybe she didn't notice how different they were until she got   
to know Neil better. Could that be it?  
  
"Yeah, Meatball Head, you still in there?"  
  
"Hum? Oh, yeah. Do you think there's just something wrong with   
us for thinking like that?"  
  
"Oh yeah, there's something wrong with us, I just haven't figured   
out what yet. But on this, no, I don't thing we should commit   
ourselves quiet yet. I mean we've known each other for forever.   
We have a, well, good relationship, so when someone else walks   
into our lives comparisons are normal. We like finding something   
that we're familiar with in the people we meet."  
  
She took in his words then looked up at him. "You really do sound   
like a text book, you know that?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Your welcome." She paused again. "So this is just like when I   
met Romola and thought she sounded like Mina right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"So when you met Cora she reminded you of me?"  
  
He paused a moment. "Yeah, she did."  
  
"So does that mean if I asked you out you'd think I was some   
gorgeous babe too?" She smiled up at him.  
  
"I didn't say that."  
  
She giggled to herself merrily. "Oh well."  
  
They sat together enjoying the remainder of the warm sunset   
quietly. The days were shortening and the winds, and storms, were   
picking up once more as the summer wore itself out. Somehow,   
she was sort of glad to see autumn come in. Usually summer was   
her favorite season, but this year the summer had brought on too   
many changes for her liking. Some quiet time was just what she   
needed now.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"Hum?"  
  
"What's your favorite season?"  
  
He looked down at her for a moment, probably trying to figure out   
what had brought on that question. "Well, I don't know, I like   
things about all of them."  
  
"Oh, come on. You have to have a favorite."  
  
He paused to think, "I guess maybe spring or fall. I don't like   
winter and summer is too long and boring. But, I guess fall. I like   
the colors, and the atmosphere."  
  
"Oh, yeah, the 'death and dying king' strikes again."  
  
"That wasn't the atmosphere I was talking about."  
  
She laughed at him. Yes, fall would be fitting to Darien's style.   
Still warm at times but the wind always held a chill to it. Not like   
winter where everything is dead and long buried. The colors fit,   
drab but vibrant as well. And the mood, like everything knew that   
the winter was coming and was preparing. Hiding themselves   
away so that they would be safe and protected until they somehow   
knew when it was safe to reemerge.  
  
Yes, that would fit.  
  
"So let me guess, you like summer right?"  
  
She smiled. How did one person manage to know her so well?   
"Yes, I like summer."  
  
"It fits."  
  
  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Hi Neil, come on in. I'm not quite ready yet." Serena let him in   
and closed the door behind him. After some serious thought, and a   
lot of late night phone calls to the girls, she had decided to give the   
guy another shot. That was last week and she had to admit that he   
was growing on her. Date number three was on tap for today and   
'meet the father' night had come a little too soon.  
  
Her father had popped in fifteen minutes ago for a nice chat with   
his little girl. And he was just in time to find out about her plans   
for the evening. Ken Tsukino wasn't about to let her out of his   
sight until he had personally met and critiqued her date for the   
evening. Something neither one of them was prepared for.  
  
"Uh, Neil, this is my father, Ken Tsukino. He just popped in for a   
visit a few minutes ago." She ushered him over to the chair her   
father had taken up residence in. "Daddy, this is Neil Arden." For   
the moment both seemed very calm. Both held smiles as they   
shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. *So far so good.*  
  
"Let me grab my purse and I'll be ready," she said quickly ducking   
into her bedroom. She was afraid of leaving the two alone for any   
amount of time. Her father had a history of being able to scare the   
living daylights out of men in less than a second flat. *Come on   
Dad, just chill out this time will you? I didn't even get to warn the   
guy!*  
  
She rushed back into the living room to find it was too late already.   
They both stood where she had left them. Only now her father was   
smiling but Neil held that nervous fake smile that replaced the   
features of every man she had ever dated.  
  
She smiled brightly at her father with a look in her eyes that told   
him she'd have a private word with him later. She pronounced a   
"Ready!" and guided them both towards the door. They walked   
out and rode the elevator to the ground floor before parting   
company. Her father made a production out of giving her a kiss on   
the cheek goodbye and saying goodnight to Neil as well. Of   
course he used the same tone and expression that he'd used with   
Darien when they had moved her in. Neil wasn't quiet as steel   
willed as Darien though and quickly said goodbye and nearly ran   
for the door.  
  
She giggled silently to herself. "Tell mom hi for me when you get   
home!" she said as the couple walked away. *Maybe he'll get the   
point in that one!*  
  
As distance stretched out between them she turned to her date.   
"Let me guess, he gave you the 'one wrong glance at my daughter   
and I'll skin you alive' look right?"  
  
The other laughed a little nervously. "Yeah, I guess you could say   
that would describe it."  
  
She laughed at him. "Don't worry about Dad. He's always like   
that. Once he gets to know you he's a push over though. It's just   
that first impression. I'm sorry I didn't get to warn you before you   
had to meet him. I could have saved you some of the pain."  
  
"That's all right. I've run into overprotective fathers before.   
Although none like that!" He looked back over his shoulder to   
make sure they weren't being followed out to his car. "No wonder   
someone like you didn't have a boyfriend already!"  
  
"Yeah, Dad's pretty hard on the social life."  
  
"I can imagine."  
  
"But as long as you're not going to suddenly fake sick and dump   
me for the night I think we'll be fine." She took his arm as he led   
her the rest of the way to his car.  
  
"This is me not faking sick," he said looking down at her.  
  
  
It was really a pretty night. The moon was up and almost full, and   
the stars that could still be seen under Tokyo's lights were   
twinkling merrily. "I should really take you up to the observatory   
some night so you can actually see the starlight," Neil said as they   
walked along. They had run out of movies they wanted to see so   
Serena had suggested a walk through the Sunset Park. It wasn't far   
from their restaurant and she seemed to know it like the back of   
her hand.  
  
"Can't I see the stars from here?" she asked.  
  
"About of third of them. There's too much light in town to see   
anything very clearly."  
  
"Oh."  
  
He looked over at her. The park had a few lights scattered here   
and there along the paths, but they were walking seemingly   
aimlessly through the different flower gardens and along the river   
edge. In the uncertain light he could make out her features mostly   
by memory and by the dim glow of moonlight. She was beautiful,   
no denying it.  
  
Her long blond hair swirled around them in the cool wind as they   
walked along, arm in arm. Her features were soft and smooth; her   
lips were blushed a light pink with gloss. And her eyes. Those   
crowning jewels that had fascinated him the first time he'd seen   
her. Crystal blue and sparkling, they could not be ignored.  
  
She was beautiful. But she was also so easy to be with, so easy to   
talk to. No mater what, she seemed so comfortable to be around.   
He hoped that also meant that she was comfortable with him.   
They got along so well when they were together, but it was more   
of a friendly type of atmosphere. This was their third date and   
he'd managed a kiss from her exactly once. That first night when   
he had dropped her off.  
  
Maybe he was trying to move this too fast. Or maybe she really   
just wanted to be friends. She always steered the conversations   
towards something light and kept her distance even though she was   
right next to him. Something just seemed off for the fact that they   
were dating. But he really like her and if it came to a 'let's just be   
friends' conversation he wasn't going to ruin it.  
  
Although he truly hoped it didn't come to that. This angel beside   
him was too good to let go of without trying to hold on to her. But   
the question was if he could hold on.  
  
"It's a beautiful night."  
  
Her words shook him out of his daydreaming. "Yeah, it really is.   
Do you come out here very often? You seem to know this park   
really well."  
  
"Yes, I do. This park isn't very far from my house. It sits right in   
the middle of my old stomping grounds, and my apartment still   
isn't too far away from it. Darien's apartment building is right   
over there." She pointed up to her right.  
  
"Oh? Which one?" he asked with mock enthusiasm. Did he have   
to come up every ten minutes?  
  
"The shorter one in front. You can just see the top floors from   
here."  
  
"I see." He really didn't and he really didn't care to either.  
  
"Lots of happy memories here. I really love this place." She   
quieted again and just kept walking along. Neil began to silently   
wonder if he was anywhere in her head at all. He was starting to   
think of himself as a walking stick instead of a date. But he   
remained quiet with her, just enjoying the company anyway.  
  
At a quarter till twelve they found themselves in front of her door   
again. "It was really a great night," he said not knowing what else   
to say.  
  
"Yeah it was," she agreed. "Thanks Neil." She turned toward him   
after she unlocked her door. He was about to turn and leave when   
she spontaneously jumped up and hugged him. He smiled to   
himself once he found her in his arms. He hugged her back   
happily.  
  
"Gee, I have to take you walking around a park more often," he   
said into her hair.  
  
She giggled and looked up at him with those sparking eyes. He   
couldn't resist the temptation set before him. So sue him if he was   
moving too fast, he couldn't resist this woman.  
  
He bent down to meet his lips with hers before she could somehow   
manage to slip away like she usually did. He kissed her softly but   
he held it as long as absolutely possible. He slowly pulled away   
trying to commit every detail to memory. Her feel, the smell of   
her perfume, the way her lip-gloss tasted. Everything he could he   
stole in order to keep locked away with him.  
  
He wanted this to last, and he didn't want to leave.  
  
She looked up at him carefully as if measuring something. Maybe   
he shouldn't have been so forceful. But the look in her eyes   
changed a bit as she used the arms she had wrapped around his   
neck to bring him closer to her again. He was slightly surprised by   
the move but no less thrilled by it. She pressed her lips to his a   
little more passionately; and he wasn't struggling any.  
  
He kissed her back with equal force and pressed her closer to him.   
She seemed so small wrapped next to him. So sweet, so…  
  
His brain shut down before the thought did.  
  
She pulled away slowly. And moved back towards her door. But   
to his dismay she said goodnight and slipped into her apartment   
before he could protest. He didn't want to leave now!  
  
Serena slipped back into her apartment and locked the door behind   
her. She kicked off her shoes and threw her purse to the side   
before she sat down in her chair and let herself focus back into   
reality. What did she just do?  
  
She'd kissed him. Not only did she kiss him; she kissed him like   
she was on some bad soap opera! And then she walked away and   
left him standing there on her doorstep! What was she thinking!!  
  
She hadn't been thinking. Now she had a full-fledged war between   
emotion and hormone going on in her head! How could she kiss   
him like that when she didn't know what she felt for the man? If   
she felt anything for him at all! What had she done? How was she   
going to call this off now if she finally realized that she cared   
nothing for him? How could she do this to herself and to him?  
  
Of course he wasn't exactly resisting much.  
  
How could she base something like this on such a physical   
instinct? How could she not consult her feelings before doing   
something like that? How could she…  
  
Serena let the questions slip out of her mind. She got up and   
walked out onto her balcony. The midnight wind was cold and   
lonely without the summer warmth. She stood staring out at the   
city lights wondering if there was anyone else staring back in her   
direction. She looked up at the few bright stars twinkling above   
and forgot to feel the cold anymore.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Your friend is the man who knows all about you,   
and still likes you" –Elbert Hubbard.  
@}--- "The loneliest place in the world is the human heart   
when love is absent" –E. C. McKenzie.  
  
  
  



	12. Chaper 11

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Decisions of the heart are always the hardest to see;   
but when you take a close look, don't expect to find exactly what   
you want.  
  
  
Chapter 11  
*@}---*  
  
  
"It just felt wrong! I mean there was no emotion, it was just some   
physical attraction type of thing. Or something—Oh!" Serena was   
so frustrated she could just scream. She was pacing around her   
apartment picking things up and setting them back down again.   
She didn't know what she was doing, she held no control over her   
unleashed emotions and her body was simply trying to find   
something to do with itself.  
  
"I don't know what I did, or what I'm doing and I haven't a clue as   
to what to do now and I can't even figure out whether or not I like   
the guy, although I like the guy, I mean he's really sweet and cute   
and lovable, but I don't know if I like him that way and I know I   
don't like him enough to go around kissing him like that, and then   
I just left him standing there looking at me like that, and…" She   
finally remembered to shut up.  
  
Darien for his part simply sat there and calmly looked at her while   
she threw her little tantrum and stopped pacing. He'd said exactly   
five words since he'd entered her apartment. "What is it this   
time?" And he wasn't getting any more vocal.  
  
She forced herself to stop and look at him as calmly as possible.   
"So what do I do?"  
  
He looked at her for a moment as if weighing something. "Why do   
I always get the relationship questions again?"  
  
"Because I need help!" She screeched at him. He sat there   
looking a bit sour but thoughtful. She immediately felt bad for   
pouring all of this out on him again. "I'm sorry Darien." She   
flopped down on the arm of the chair he was sitting in and leaned   
against the back next to him. "I don't mean to always place all of   
my worldly troubles on you, but you're always so good at helping   
me through them. I know this isn't fair to you. You shouldn't   
have to go through this with me every other day because I can't   
think for myself."  
  
She noticed that he wasn't going to stop her from berating herself   
like he normally did either. She lapsed into silence beside him   
wondering what she had done to deserve that cool demeanor from   
him. *Maybe he's just getting totally sick of me.* It was entirely   
possible. This whole thing was driving her crazy and she was the   
one living it. Darien had to be completely fed up with it by now.  
  
She looked over at him out of the corner of her eye trying not to   
get caught staring at him. Still the same expression. And one that   
she didn't recognize on him she had to add. He didn't seem angry   
with her at least, but then again what if he was mad at her for   
always bring this up and just didn't want to hurt her by saying so?   
That thought jerked her into action. "Darien?!"  
  
He looked at her a bit startled by the sudden interruption of his   
thoughts. "I'm sorry," she said hoping she could get him to open   
up and tell her what he was thinking. "I promise I won't bring this   
up again. I know, it's my problem and I'll deal with it."  
  
He chucked at her a bit. "I've never known you to deal with   
anything on your own."  
  
She felt ashamed of herself at his words. It was true, she just   
couldn't handle anything on her own. She should be able to make   
her own decisions and not rely on everyone else, but it was hard to.   
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.  
  
"That wasn't meant as an insult."  
  
She turned to him again, confusion written over her face. He   
laughed lightly at her. "I know how much you depend on people.   
I'll always be here for you, you know that. I just don't exactly   
know what to tell you, Serena. This isn't a department that I'm   
well familiar with you know. And in all truth you're the only   
person that can answer your biggest question. How do you feel   
about him?" He waited for a reply of some sort from her and she   
didn't know if she had one.  
  
"I don't know…" She stopped herself. He was right; she was the   
only person that was ever going to answer that question. But she   
felt so tormented inside. A part of her screamed to just say that she   
really cared for him since he seemed to care for her. That way she   
would have someone there with her. But that was the wrong   
reason and she knew it. She didn't want to just have someone; she   
had to have real feelings for him.  
  
"Maybe I do have feelings for him. I mean that impulse had to   
come from somewhere right?" He didn't say anything. And she   
was upset that he didn't say anything. *Why is he being so cold!*   
She continued to think for a while. "Maybe I'm trying to tell   
myself what I do feel. I mean relationships aren't something that   
I've been good at either. Maybe I'm just not being truthful with   
myself."  
  
Still Darien didn't say anything to help her, or make this easier, or   
anything at all for that matter and it was beginning to unnerve her   
as much as her problems were. "Darien, please, tell me what you   
think."  
  
"I can't tell you want to feel and what not to feel Serena."  
  
"No, but you can tell me what you think." She wasn't going to let   
him get away with not talking to her like this.  
  
He seemed to think quietly for a time before shaking his head as if   
clearing his thoughts away and looking back to her. "You have to   
do what's best for you. If you don't know whether you care or not   
that means that you care some. I guess, I'd have to tell you, to see   
where that leads you."  
  
He sounded very unsure of that last sentence and she silently   
wondered why, but didn't press the issue. "You're right, I do have   
some feelings for him, I just need to find out if they're enough or   
not." She was silent a moment as she thought. But it wasn't about   
Neil; it was Darien that confused her. He wasn't acting like   
himself, something was wrong but she didn't understand what.   
Maybe he was sick of this after all. "Thank you, Darien. I really   
needed someone to talk to."  
  
He smiled at her slightly in his own little private way. "Hey,   
what's a friend for?"  
  
  
Serena once again stood on her balcony watching the city's lights   
twinkle on and off. Darien had left hours before. He had only   
given her a quick hug and whispered, "Everything will work out,"   
to her before disappearing out her door. It bothered her that he   
hadn't been more sympathetic.  
  
So she let the cold night surround her as images of two men floated   
through her mind. *Maybe he's tired of giving you advice all the   
time and wants to make you think for yourself.* That would be   
more like Darien, force her to do something he knew she wouldn't   
want to do on her own. But why this? Why now?  
  
*Maybe he really doesn't know what to do either.* He'd said that   
he wasn't sure what to do for her, it was possible he just didn't   
want to give her bad advice. But he seemed so preoccupied. So   
distracted and distant.  
  
*Maybe he doesn't want you to date Neil because he doesn't want   
to lose you to him!* Was that possible?!  
  
She startled herself out of her unseeing stare and walked back   
inside. Could that be what he was worried about? Their   
conversation only a month earlier came back to her. "I don't want   
us to split apart. Darien, I need you…" "No, you won't someday.   
Until then, just let me hold you close."  
  
Instinctively she hugged herself fiercely and swallowed the sobs   
threatening her. "No," she whispered to her dark apartment.   
"No!" she screamed to herself. She wouldn't let that happen, she   
wouldn't let them break apart like he had predicted. She couldn't!   
And she wouldn't; wouldn't let anyone tear her away from   
someone she cared for so much.  
  
She mindlessly walked into her bedroom and snuggled into bed.   
She curled up in a ball with her pillow and tried to force herself to   
sleep. But as soon as she struggled against thinking of one man in   
her life she saw the other before her eyes. Finally exhausted her   
body gave out before her mind did. She fell into a troubled   
dreamscape where her emotions began to take over.  
  
  
She found herself standing on a balcony again. Only this time she   
overlooked the beautiful garden and landscaping of the imperial   
palace. She noted with a familiarity that her dream self had that   
the Earth's huge domed sphere hung low in the sky above her. A   
warm breeze sighed around her lazily and played with her hair and   
the hem of her dress.  
  
A long white gown. The skirt tapered down in waves to her feet   
and the small sleeves puffed up on her shoulders. The hems were   
covered with gold threading and the bodice was covered with rings   
of gold. This was her normal gown of state but tonight it had   
become her wedding gown.  
  
The ceremony had finally joined her with her one true love. Price   
Neil had taken her hand in marriage only that afternoon. But as   
she gazed lovingly up at the Earth she knew that her happiness was   
incomplete. Darien, Prince of Earth, and her closest friend and   
confidant hadn't been able to attend the wedding. But he had   
promised to make the venture to the moon as soon as possible in   
order to be there with her on this special night.  
  
He hadn't arrived yet.  
  
"Princess Serena?" Turning she saw Lita, Princess of Jupiter,   
walking out onto the balcony with her. She was a dear friend to   
her and a member of her court as well.  
  
"Hello Lita. It is so pretty tonight I had to come out for a minute."   
She turned her gaze back to the Earth as Lita confirmed her   
statement. "I am worried though. Prince Darien has not yet   
arrived and no one seems to know where he is. I was certain that   
he would have arrived before now. I do hope he's all right."  
  
"I wouldn't worry Serena, the prince would not abandon you on   
your wedding day. He will be here as soon as possible."  
  
She was right of course but Serena continued her vigil where his   
home planet could comfort her. Lita walked back inside and she   
was once again alone. Somehow she welcomed the solitude. Neil   
would be entertaining their families and guesses and wouldn't   
notice her absence for a time, but she couldn't stay out here   
forever.  
  
A rustling of cloth and quietly clicking footsteps caught her   
attention. Turning to look down the balcony's curved side she   
managed a glimpse of the intruder that interrupted her thoughts. A   
man tall and dark featured quietly walked towards her. Armor   
covered his frame in colors of silver, blue and black. A cape of   
black with red lining cloaked him with a swaying shadow behind   
his steady gait.  
  
His breastplate was covered over with high collared jacket and   
silver lining crossing his chest. His shoulders, torso, hips and legs   
from the knees down were covered by the gleaming armor that she   
could associate only with the kingdom of Earth. And the blue   
sleeves and pants, the swinging cape and the ornately carved sword   
at his side belonged only to the Crowned Prince.  
  
Her heart melted at the sight. "Darien!" She rushed towards him   
down the wide balcony's path. He looked up to see her rushing to   
him and his steps faltered. She quickly caught him up in a hug   
feeling the familiar height difference and the strength of his arms   
around her. "What in the galaxy kept you so long? I was   
beginning to worry that something had happen on your passage up   
here!"  
  
She stood back to look at him. He looked tired and his midnight   
hair was tousled a bit more than normal. But there was a darkness   
to his eyes that she couldn't place. Even in the dim lighting from   
the hanging planet overhead she could see something in him that   
shouldn't have been there. "Darien? Is something wrong? What   
happened?"  
  
"Nothing is wrong princess," he said in the same caring voice that   
he had always used with her. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be here   
sooner… and I'm sorry I have to leave you so quickly."  
  
"Leave? Why?" she yelped in surprise. She didn't want him to go   
so soon. It had been months since she had last seen him and even   
then it had been short because the wedding preparations had taken   
so much of her time.  
  
"Duty calls me back home Serena." He gently picked up her chin   
and smiled weakly down at her. "Besides, you are a wife now,   
you'll have plenty of things to keep you occupied."  
  
"Occupied? Oh Darien…" She took his hand away from her face   
and held it in her own for a moment. "Do you know when you will   
return?"  
  
He was quiet a moment before pulling her into a hug with his other   
arm. She silently cursed the armor that he wore that didn't allow   
her to feel 'him,' but she hugged him back without letting go of his   
hand.  
  
"Serena," he whispered quietly. "I may not be back."  
  
The statement shocked her very heart and she swore that it stopped   
beating in her chest. "What?" She was too torn to make it come   
out any louder than a whisper.  
  
"We both have separate lives to lead now Princess. You have a   
husband and the Moon Kingdom that you will one day rule. I have   
a planet that will need my leadership. We just do not belong   
together Serena… I guess we never have."  
  
"But Darien! Please, you can't mean that we won't see each other   
again. I mean we are parts of the two closest kingdoms in the solar   
system. We can't just split apart. Besides I care about you Darien!   
We've always been close. You're my best friend and the one   
person that I can always talk to. You can't just say that you'll   
never come back; you can't just leave me like this!" She flung   
herself back into his arms and held on tightly. She couldn't let him   
go; she wouldn't!  
  
"Serena," there was a pain in his voice that she could just make   
out. "Serena, I'm leaving you in good hands. Neil will be a good   
husband to you. You don't need me anymore."  
  
"Of course I need you!" She looked up into his eyes and knew that   
he didn't agree with her. "Darien, I will always need you. I care   
about you. That will never stop."  
  
"I know, Serena. And my feelings for you will never change, but   
we will." He reached up and brushed her check with his hand.  
  
"Then why? Why leave me like this? I don't understand." He   
closed his eyes unable to look into hers any longer. "Darien?"  
  
"It's too hard Serena. I can't watch you like this when it hurts so   
much." She stared up at him unbelieving. Pain was reflected both   
in his words and in his stature. Pain that she had never seen, but   
pain that she knew had to be long standing. "I'm sorry Serena, I   
didn't mean to ruin this day for you. I don't mean to cause you   
any pain or worry. I knew this day would come, I had just prayed   
that it would be easier."  
  
She couldn't understand what he was telling her and she couldn't   
comprehend what it was that was hurting him so much but she   
couldn't bring herself to speak either. She simply looked at him   
not looking at her. "I'm sorry," he whispered again.  
  
"Serena?" A voice that she had come to love so well floated out to   
her. Neil must have come out onto the balcony looking for her.   
But she wouldn't be separated from Darien yet.  
  
It didn't escape his notice as he looked up towards the sound of the   
voice. The entrance to the ballroom was far enough away from   
them that the curve in the balcony still hid them from view.   
Looking down to her he brushed her face once more with his hand   
and turned to leave the other way. But she grabbed his arm before   
he could retreat back into the shadows.  
  
"Darien, please don't leave me. Please, tell me what I can do to   
keep you here. What did I do to hurt you?!" Panic was evident in   
her voice but she didn't care.  
  
He turned back to her a bit surprised. "There isn't anything you   
can do. I'm sorry Serena, I don't mean to upset you. Please don't   
make this hurt more than it does."  
  
"Darien tell me! What did I do?"  
  
He looked at her lovingly. "You didn't do anything Serena. It was   
me." She didn't understand and was going to question him again   
when he beat her to it. "I love you Serena. I always have."  
  
Shock gripped her heart so tightly that she didn't think she could   
breath. Fear held her in its grasp even though she didn't know   
what it was she was scared of.  
  
"I'm sorry Serena. You've found the one that you love and one   
that I know loves you back. I do wish you the best Little Princess.   
Please remember that I will always be around if you need me. But   
you won't. I know you will be fine on your own." He looked back   
up to the path that footsteps could be heard coming from. Quickly   
he bent down and placed a small kiss on her check before   
whispering, "Goodbye my dear princess." He turned and walked   
away with a sweep of his cape.  
  
Serena was left standing alone staring at the shadows that had   
enveloped his figure. Her mind and heart had gone numb inside   
her and it was all she could do to stay standing.  
  
"Serena? Darling, what on the Moon are you doing out here?"   
She felt two loving arms encircle her and a gentle kiss was pecked   
on her neck. Only then did she turn her eyes from the blank   
darkness that was all that remained of the man that she had cared   
so much for.  
  
"He's left me Neil."  
  
"Who's left, Love?"  
  
"Darien," she whispered.  
  
"Oh. Did he finally show up? You would think if he was such a   
good friend he would have been here to see us commit."  
  
She dropped her head and closed her eyes against the tears that   
threatened to spill over.  
  
"So where did he run off to? Finally getting a life is he?"  
  
She spun on him without preamble. "He's left the Moon for Earth   
again. He's left me completely Neil! He's gone and I'll manage to   
see him once a year for some diplomatic function or something,   
but I'll never talk to him like I did. I'll never actually talk to him   
again! I'll never hug him, or spill out what's on my mind to him,   
or ask his advice on anything again. Because I was too blind to see   
how much he meant to me and what I meant to him!"  
  
He stood shocked at her temper and wrapped an arm around her   
protectively. "If you ask me it's best that you don't see so much of   
him. The two of you were always a bit too friendly in my book   
anyway. But come now, you don't have to be so dramatic about   
all of this. You can write the little prince and visit all you like, no   
one's stopping you."  
  
She looked at him with tears glazing her eyes. How could he be so   
insensitive to her like this? Why didn't he understand? Darien   
would never have been so cold to her feelings. But now he was   
gone and she couldn't do anything about it!  
  
But she had to. She had to stop him. Stop him from leaving. Talk   
to him and make him take back the words he had said to her. He   
loved her; she loved him too, just not the same way… But he   
couldn't just leave her like this. He couldn't! "No!" she cried   
hiking up her dress and running after him.  
  
"Serena!"  
  
She didn't even turn to look back at Neil. She didn't care, she just   
knew she had to reach Darien before it was too late. She ran down   
the winding staircases like she wore a suit of lead. He was   
nowhere to be seen. She finally arrived at the receiving hall where   
the magical powers that held the kingdoms together formed a focal   
point where a bridge to the Earth could be made. The gate was   
already open and a lone figure stood just in front of it.  
  
"Darien!" she screamed smashing into the guardrail a floor above   
the actual gate. He turned to look up at her solemnly. Her   
breathing was labored and her heart thundered in her chest. But it   
wasn't the run down that caused her physical dilemma.  
  
She was about to run down the flight of stairs to him when she felt   
a hand grab her tightly from behind. She turned to see Neil   
grasping her arm, concern written in his eyes, and she was certain   
that he wasn't about to let go of her. He turned to regard the   
second prince below them without a word in confusion. She   
turned as well to see Darien gazing back up to her.  
  
He gave the pair a final look over and she could see pain in his   
eyes. It was almost tangible to her; or was it her own pain that she   
felt?  
  
With a courteous smile and a small salute she saw him mouth a   
'congratulations' and headed into the portal before she could stop   
him. She pulled with all of her might away from Neil as his body   
blended into the swirling colors of the magical pool. "No!" she   
cried.  
  
  
  
"DARIEN!"  
  
Serena snapped herself awake screaming his name and reaching   
out for empty air.  
  
Slowly her eyes focused back onto the real world around her.   
Sweat had enveloped her body and her sheets had been torn from   
the bed. A corner of her fitted bottom sheet was even wrapped   
around her blanket's edge. Her pillow had been flung to the floor   
and now lay out of reach next to the wall.  
  
Her heartbeat would not come down. The blood in her ears was   
the only sound she could make out. Slowly she lay back down   
oblivious to the state of her room. It was only then that she noticed   
she was shaking. Trembling all over like a frightened child.  
  
She grasped whatever parts of her covers she could and snuggled   
back into them continuing her unblinking stare into the darkened   
room. She was quickly forgetting the details of her dream, but the   
emotions behind it remained constant in her mind. All she could   
see was that last fake smile he gave trying to cover over the pain in   
his eyes.  
  
*I betrayed him. I betrayed his love and his trust. I betrayed the   
emotions that he showed me so openly. I betrayed him.*  
  
She squeezed her eyes closed and let the tears come. The   
desperation she felt and the pain wouldn't go away. They kept   
nagging at her; telling her that she had brought this on herself. But   
she didn't want to think. Couldn't think. She simply laid there   
and pleaded with herself to stop this. To forget. To make that   
lonely feeling go away.  
  
It didn't.  
  
  
  
Serena let the phone ring three times before hanging up, the   
answering machine would be on. She glanced up at her clock and   
sighed. He wasn't back yet. *I should have called him before he   
went out jogging.* Almost eight o'clock, she would still be   
yawning her way through a shower at this time most mornings.   
But this wasn't most mornings.  
  
Serena hadn't dared go back to sleep last night. Her body felt   
sluggish and drained from the lack of energy but her mind kept   
replaying that dream and she relived those emotions over and over.   
"I've betrayed him." It was the only thing she could think. Her   
rational thoughts were at war with her emotional ones and they   
weren't winning. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that it   
wasn't real.  
  
She had mindlessly picked up one of her dismantled covers off the   
floor and wrapped it tightly around herself. She sat in her living   
room chair curled up in a ball rocking slightly. Tear stains marked   
the places where she had simply given in to the sobs that kept   
spontaneously coming to her. She didn't bother to dry them away.  
  
Slowly she reached out for the phone again, pushed her rational   
mind to the front, and hoped again that she could do this. She   
dialed Darien's number slowly, analyzing every digit, and   
swallowed hard as it began to ring. "Hello."  
  
She almost jumped at his voice. The same voice that she trusted so   
much terrified her now.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
She blinked the tears away quickly. "Darien?" she croaked.  
  
There was a slight pause before he acknowledged hearing her.   
"Serena?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me." She wiped savagely at her tears, willing them to   
go away.  
  
"Serena. What's wrong? You sound awful. What happened?"   
The concern in his voice brought some of her senses back to her   
again. This was still her Darien, not some dream prince that told   
her he loved her and ran away.  
  
"I'm… not feeling very well." She didn't want to lie to him but   
she had no choice, she couldn't let him see her. She couldn't tell   
him about this.  
  
"Are you sick?"  
  
"I-I… I don't know." She closed her eyes and held the phone   
close as if would give her some comfort.  
  
"Do you want me to come over? Bring you something? Do you   
need anything?"  
  
She curled herself tighter into the blanket feeling the loneliness   
bite into her again. "No, no, I'll be fine," she lied. "I think I just   
need to rest for a while… I didn't sleep very well last night," she   
conceded.  
  
"Oh. All right. Do you want me to drop by? Maybe I can drive   
you home. I'm sure your mother would know what to do."  
  
She smiled a bit at the phone. He was always thinking, always   
calm and rational, so unlike herself. "No, that's all right. I think   
I'll just stay here and try to rest. I'm sure I'll be fine by   
tomorrow."  
  
"OK, if you're sure you'll be all right alone."  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"OK. Well, get some sleep then, and I'll call later to check on you.   
Oh, and I'll tell Dr. Benton you're out."  
  
She sighed to herself. "Thank you Darien."  
  
"Hey, you got it Meatball Head. Just work on getting better OK. I   
want my sparing partner back and in good health as soon as   
possible. You're no fun to pick on when you're sick."  
  
She smiled in spite of everything. "I will, I promise."  
  
"OK, good night then. Sweet dreams."  
  
Dreams. Why did he have to say that? "Thanks Darien.   
Thanks…" She meant it too. How can just the sound of his voice   
make her feel so much better? Or tear her apart in a nightmare.  
  
"Yeah sure… Just get some sleep. I'll talk to you later." He   
sounded as though he knew something was wrong but he didn't   
say anything.  
  
"OK… Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She waited until she heard the click as he hung up and then waited   
until the dial tone buzzed her mind back into functioning. She   
replaced the handset and bunched herself back into the chair with   
her blanket. She slowly slipped back into her unseeing stare at the   
opposite wall of her apartment until something on it found its way   
into her foggy mind.  
  
She stood up trailing the blanket behind her and walked over to her   
desk that sat next to the little divider between the kitchen and the   
living room. The top of it was cluttered with various objects and   
papers as well as her purse and key ring. But apart from the mess   
stood four picture frames.  
  
One contained a picture of her family which she had to add was   
probably two years old. Parents and children stood in front of their   
house looking like a happy little family. Another held a picture of   
four girls all but one wearing the dark blue uniform of Juuban High   
School; the last was dressed in a private school's colors of white   
and gray with a red bow. A third frame showed a couple also   
wearing the Juuban uniforms, a boy in huge glasses and a girl with   
short curly red hair.  
  
But the fourth… Serena slowly took the last silver frame and held   
up to stare down at it as the tears welled up again. A young man   
with dark black hair stood with one hand in his pocket and the   
other wrapped around a younger girl that stood beside him holding   
her hands together in front of her. They both smiled sweetly, but   
she remembered that day quiet clearly. Even if it had been nearly   
two and a half years ago.  
  
She remembered his comments on how 'revealing' her skirt had   
been and asked if she hadn't grown out of it a few years back. In   
retaliation she had snipped a comment on the pink shirt he wore   
and asked if it wasn't suppose to belong to an ex-girlfriend and   
then added an "Oh, yeah, you don't have an ex." They'd gone on   
arguing to their hearts content until she stumbled over a small bush   
growing too close to the sidewalk. The word revealing described   
her quite well after that.  
  
Darien had of course laughed at her but didn't comment on the   
view if he'd actually seen it; which to this day she hoped he hadn't.   
But unfortunately someone else did. A group of three boys around   
her age just happened to be walking along the opposite path. And   
they noticed.  
  
The catcalls were enough to make her want to crawl under that   
stupid little bush and hide until the next spring. *It was spring   
wasn't it. I remember it was the first actually warm day and I'd   
been dying to get out of the house. So of course I ran into Darien,   
literally, in the park that Sunday.* She looked back down at the   
picture in memory.  
  
He had picked her up and led her away from the group with what   
had to be an extremely evil look because all three of them shut up   
and left. She was horribly upset about the whole scene but he   
didn't say anything about it. Eventually they'd started another   
argument and continued their pace towards the river's edge.  
  
The old man that ran the photography shop waved to them as they   
walked by like he always did. But this time Darien stopped and   
asked if she'd pose for a shot. She'd been shocked to say the least,   
but had agreed if they each got one. So they posed for two pictures   
and took the long way around the park waiting the hour for them to   
be processed.  
  
When she asked why he'd thought of it he'd simply said that he   
was having a problem with mice. At which she promptly hit him   
and said that she'd let him borrow her cat. It only launched them   
into a third bout of quarreling. But they each ended up with a   
picture and a negative, and eventually a five-by-seven with   
matching frames.  
  
She had taken the sweeter of the two poses. They both looked   
normal and rather civilized in it. But Darien's was probably a   
more intimate looking one. He stood behind her with his arms   
wrapped lightly around her to cross in the front, and she stood   
holding up a peace sign with a huge smile across her face.  
  
It was odd but she could remember every detail of the pictures and   
most of the details of that day. The time difference reflected more   
on her than him. Of course she had been sixteen at the time and   
the age difference could be seen more clearly. Darien was already   
twenty by then and if she were honest she would say that he was   
certainly as handsome as ever.  
  
She ran a hand over his smiling face and laughed a bit at the tears   
that were falling slowly down her checks again. "We've really   
been though everything together haven't we," she said to the   
image. "Everything and more."  
  
  
Darien stared at the computer screen thinking for the twentieth   
time today that is was too quiet in his office. Without Serena it   
just wasn't the same. But everyone got sick once in a while right?   
Right. He wasn't exactly buying into the 'I'm sick' excuse. He   
knew her too well and had seen her sick a few times and she was   
never one to want to suffer through alone. She should have at least   
said that she'd call her mother and ask her to come over but she   
hadn't even done that.  
  
Something was wrong and he didn't like not knowing what.  
  
A knock on the open door brought him out of his thoughts. He   
looked up to see Neil standing there with a smile pasted on his face   
like he was in pain. "Hi Neil," he said with the same type of look   
himself.  
  
"Hi. Hey, I was looking for Serena, know where I might find   
her?"  
  
"Curled up in bed with her pillow and the sheets pulled over her   
head." He decided his computer was more interesting than the   
slightly startled expression on the younger man's face.  
  
"What?"  
  
He laughed in spite of himself. "She's out sick today. She gave   
me a call this morning sounding like Death after a late night train   
wreck."  
  
"Oh." He stood there contemplating the news. "Do you think   
she's OK?"  
  
"Yeah, nothing keeps Serena down very long. She'll be up and   
back to her bouncy self in a day or two. She said she just needed   
some sleep, maybe she's worn down or something." He wasn't   
about to let on that there was something else wrong. After all he   
fully intended to get to the bottom of this before Mr. Perfect took a   
crack at it.  
  
"Oh." He paused a moment before turning back to the door.   
"Well, if you see her before I do tell her to get better soon for me."  
  
"Will do."  
  
"All right, see ya." He walked out quickly. Darien stared after   
him with a frown in place.  
  
Why exactly he couldn't say but something just felt wrong. He   
liked Neil; he'd said it himself. And he would probably make a   
good match for Serena, but somehow he found himself liking this   
less all the time. Maybe it was because she didn't seem to be   
really falling for him. All of her other relationships she'd hopped   
into with open arms and had been completely engrossed in from   
the start.  
  
But this time she was taking her time and seemed much more   
resistant. He didn't understand the change but in anyone else that   
would have been taken as a good sign. But Serena was never one   
that used her head when it came to maters of the heart. She let it   
lead her without thought of what may happen. That was just the   
way she went though life, always wearing her heart on her sleeve   
and accepting good in everyone she met.  
  
So why the resistance now? Neil had a good head on his shoulders   
and knew what he wanted from life. They got along fine and he   
was treating her well. What could be wrong?  
  
For that mater what did he find wrong with him?  
  
Darien turned away from the door and back to his computer. *If I   
can't find anything wrong with him why am I being so   
overprotective?* It was true that when Serena talked to him the   
day before he'd felt just a little… What? What was it exactly that   
he had felt?  
  
Somehow he just didn't believe that Neil was right for her. Sure   
he was a nice guy and all, but Serena deserved someone better than   
nice. She deserved the best. But who was he to tell her what was   
best for her? She would have to make up her own mind, what was   
the best for her, and his advice wouldn't be worth anything if he   
tried making that decision for her. He knew it last night and he   
knew it now. This just wasn't up to him.  
  
But if it was…  
  
He shook his head and turned his attention back to the information   
still blinking at him from his monitor. Serena was a big girl now;   
she can take care of herself.  
  
At least until he got off work.  
  
  
Serena was curled up in bed with her pillow and the sheets pulled   
over her head. She had managed to put her room back into some   
semblance of order and she was still trying to get some sleep. But   
it wasn't working.  
  
She felt like a lead weight. She couldn't move if she had to but her   
brain refused to just click off. She had managed to doze off for a   
while during the day but she still felt drained. She heard the phone   
ring once, then twice. She looked over at the clock on her   
nightstand and realized it was almost five.  
  
"Darien," she whispered to herself as it rang a third time. Without   
a thought to her weakness she jumped up and raced for the phone.   
Unfortunately her chair got in the way.  
  
Picking herself up and dragging the blanket that had been laying in   
it with her she crawled to the table reaching for the phone.   
"Hello!"  
  
"Serena? I didn't know if I'd be waking you or not."  
  
With a sigh she flopped back down on the floor beside her coffee   
table. "No, I wasn't actually sleeping."  
  
"Are you OK?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been doing a lot of thinking today."   
She'd decided earlier that there was no use in hiding from Darien.   
He wouldn't let her get away with it anyway. And if there was   
ever a time when she needed him, she needed him now.  
  
"Do I even need to guess about what?"  
  
"I'm sure you've already figured it out anyway, am I right?"  
  
"Well, you didn't look very sickly yesterday, so I think you're   
hiding yourself away for one reason or another. Oh, and before I   
forget, he says to get better soon."  
  
"Thanks for the relay," she bit out.  
  
There was a slight pause from him. "Are you sure you're all right?   
You really didn't sound good this morning and you're not   
sounding like yourself now. Talk to me Serena."  
  
She lay there a moment just taking in the sound of his voice. He   
was always so gentle to her; she didn't deserve his concern. "Can   
you drop by? I… really kind of need you."  
  
There was a slight chuckling from him. "Are you sure you're not   
still sick?"  
  
"No."  
  
"OK, just trying to avoid Meatball germs."  
  
"I'll give you a germ you Conceited Jerk!" She yelled at him   
before she knew what she was doing.  
  
"Well fine. See if I come over to cheer you up!"  
  
She sobered immediately. "Sorry."  
  
"Serena, it was a joke."  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
He laughed at her amusedly. "Give me some time to get through   
rush hour traffic and I'll be there as soon as I can."  
  
She sighed, "Thanks a bunch Darien. I really own you one."  
  
"I'll put it on your tab. Hang in there a little longer OK?"  
  
"OK."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She hung up the phone slowly and pulled herself off the floor.   
Well, if she was going to have company she should probably get   
dressed. Of course it wouldn't be the first time he'd seen her   
pajamas. Although she could just hear the comments about her   
pink pajamas with bunnies on them.  
  
Quickly she threw on a pair of leggings and an oversized   
sweatshirt. She pulled a brush through her hair and just put it back   
in a ponytail not bothering with the time it took to put it up into its   
usual odangos. She brushed her teeth, which she had been   
neglecting all day, and made her bed again. Flopping down on it   
she found herself exhausted yet again.  
  
She didn't move until a knock on the door brought her back to her   
feet. She made her way to the door and opened it groggily. Darien   
walked in and shut it behind himself while she made her way to the   
couch needing to sit down.  
  
"Serena? Are you sure you're not sick? You look awful."  
  
"Thanks for noticing," she smiled weakly at him. "But I'm fine. I   
just need some sleep."  
  
"You're not kidding." He walked over and sat next to her   
wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She fell into him without a   
second thought.  
  
"I'm sorry to make you come over. But I could really use someone   
here with me." *Especially you.*  
  
"No need to thank me." He pulled her closer. "But now will you   
tell me what's going on?"  
  
She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer   
remembering her dream. The real Darien might not be in love with   
her like the other professed, but he deserved more than being just   
the person she turned to with problems and complaints. He   
deserved the same type of concern that he always showed her.  
  
"I just don't think I can do this anymore," she whispered.  
  
"Do what anymore?"  
  
"Neil." *More like choosing between you and Neil.*  
  
He was silent for a moment with one hand playing absently with   
her hair. "You seemed pretty set on giving it a shot last night.   
Why the change of heart?"  
  
"That's exactly it. My heart changed. Or I guess it didn't change,   
I just realized what it was saying."  
  
He leaned his chin on top of her head. "What did it say?"  
  
She closed her eyes knowing that she couldn't tell him about her   
dream. Knowing that this once she couldn't tell him everything.   
"It said I should have listened to it earlier."  
  
"I take it that means that you shouldn't have given him that second   
chance."  
  
"No, I should have known after that first date that I was…" She let   
the sentence die before she said something that would incriminate   
her.  
  
"Was what?"  
  
"Well, that I shouldn't have been involved with him."  
  
"What is it Serena? What is it that you don't like about him?"  
  
She was a little shocked at the question. "Now I suppose you're   
going to tell me that I shouldn't break up with him."  
  
"No, I'm not saying that. I think you have to do what you think is   
best. It's just that I've been thinking about this too and I can't   
come up with a reason for me thinking the same thing."  
  
"What do you mean?" She sat up to look at him.  
  
"All right, now I'm not telling you what to do or anything like that,   
but the longer this has been going on the less I like the idea." She   
looked at him curiously and he shook his head. "I don't know   
what it is. I guess maybe it's because you're having such a hard   
time deciding what you feel about him. Or maybe I just don't   
think he's good enough for you."  
  
His voice died down to dull note and he didn't look at her. Which   
was probably a good thing considering she was in a total state of   
disbelief. "Not good enough?"  
  
"I know it sounds stupid. I don't even know why I'm thinking it,   
but I have been for a couple of days now. Don't ask why because I   
don't know and I haven't found anything to point to in the guy   
either. It's just a feeling."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me this last night?"  
  
"I didn't want to influence your decision."  
  
*Oh you influenced it all right!* "Why would you be afraid of   
telling me what you thought?"  
  
"I wasn't afraid to tell you, I just wanted you to be sure that   
whatever you decided was what you really wanted. Are you sure   
now that this is what you want?"  
  
She looked up into those stormy blue eyes. The same eyes that she   
had memorized so many times, but they kept changing on her. He   
kept changing. How could she be sure about this when she was   
basing it on some dream that was probably the result of too much   
hot fudge ice cream?  
  
But those eyes. One more look and she knew this was right. She   
still felt that separation, that loneliness, that feeling that she had   
betrayed him by trying to care for someone else. It might have   
sounded stupid if she were to say it to someone else. But here in   
his arms gazing into a single pair of eyes that she had learned to   
trust, learned to drown in, and learned to love, she couldn't lie to   
herself. She cared for him more than she cared for Neil, possibly   
more than she could ever care for Neil, and she wouldn't lose him   
because of someone that she thought she might kind of like. She   
wouldn't.  
  
She couldn't.  
  
She fell back into his chest and snuggled herself as close to him as   
possible. No, she wouldn't lose him. "I'm sure," she whispered.  
  
He hugged her tightly but didn't say anything. Wrapped in his   
arms she felt the same protective care that she had missed in his   
embraces before. The same warm comfort that she always felt.   
The same feeling that she had always known, but this time she   
cherished it just in case it wouldn't always be there.  
  
But, if she could help it, he would… always be there… for…  
  
Darien sat wrapped in his own thoughts for a time. When he   
finally looked back down at the woman in his arms he noticed that   
she didn't seem too lively.  
  
"Serena?" he asked quietly. No response. He chuckled lightly at   
her. She had seemed extremely exhausted before and now she was   
totally zoned out. Well, no sense in leaving the poor sick girl on   
the couch.  
  
He gently laid her head on his shoulder and tilted her so that he   
could get and arm under her knees. She didn't even move.   
*Maybe I should check for vital signs.* But she was breathing, he   
could feel it against his neck. *So off to bed we go! …That could   
really be taken the wrong way.*  
  
He carefully picked her up and still managed to get up himself   
without falling over for lack of balance. He carried her into her   
bedroom and figured out a way to use the hand that was holding   
her knees to pull the covers back. Not an easy task with the other   
person asleep; even though she could sleep through a hurricane. If   
he dropped her he'd give new meaning to a rude awakening. Not   
to mention that she'd kill him, chop his body into little pieces, bury   
him in a shallow grave, and then check into a hospital for   
whichever body part she broke.  
  
He slid her feet under the sheets and laid her carefully down   
against her pillow. "Darien." It was barely over a murmur but he   
heard it thinking he had waken her after all. But she simply turned   
her head and continued her blissful napping. Looking down at her   
he smiled at the sight. She seemed so peaceful, and so cute with   
that little smile on her lips.  
  
Silently he covered her up and brushed some loose hair out of her   
face. He stopped a minute wondering when the last time was that   
he'd seen her with her hair down. Ponytails weren't normal with   
her. He knew she normally slept with it up in her 'meatballs' too.   
A few memories floated by.  
  
He'd seen it down once when a member of the janitorial staff at   
her school mistook her for an open door when trying to empty a   
bucket of water. The day she wore that fuzzy pink sweater and   
ended up looking like a giant static ball. Then there was the day   
she was sitting on the bridge railing when they were laughing   
about something and fell over before he could grab her. OK so   
he'd seen her like this more than he'd thought, but it was still a   
rare instance.  
  
He brushed her hair away again and leaned down to peck a light   
kiss on her check. What impulse implored him into that action he   
couldn't say; somehow he imagined he felt more like father to her   
now than a friend. "Good night Meatball Head," he whispered to   
her and slipped away from her bedside.  
  
He walked slowly back to the door and closed it softly behind him.   
Standing again in the living room he dug through the things on her   
desk until he found a blank piece of paper and a pen. "What a   
mess," he mumbled to the papers. He uncovered a stack and found   
that two small roses lay there next to it, buried from sight by the   
stuff in front of them.  
  
He careful picked them up, recognizing both. The rose he had   
given her for graduation had been dried and now appeared a   
brownish cream color instead of the white it was suppose to be.   
He noted with some amusement that the ten-dollar bill he had tied   
to it was still in place. The second rose was as perfect as the day   
he'd given it to her. Of course, it was also fake. The one he had   
snagged out of the decorations at Andrew's wedding dance.  
  
She'd kept them.  
  
He didn't know why but that thought brought a laugh out of him.   
He knew she was a pack rat and she probably still had all of her   
pictures from preschool, but somehow that didn't matter. She'd   
kept the two small gifts that he'd given her.  
  
Darien brushed a hand over their petals still chuckling to himself.   
He glanced up at the picture frames that stood behind all the mess.   
He'd seen them there before of course but he paused to look them   
over. Her family: Ken, Ilene, her and Sammy. Her friends: Ami,   
Rei, Lita, and Mina. Her best friends: Molly and her boyfriend   
Melvin. …And them.  
  
He slowly picked up the picture noting the frame that matched the   
one Serena had given to him for his. He smiled down at it   
remembering that day. Oh did he remember that day! Pink   
underwear and all. He laughed again. Poor Meatball Head. She   
didn't deserve that.  
  
OK, so with a skirt like that, yes she did. But still, those guys were   
a bunch of jerks. But he had a good four or five years on all of   
them and not to mention size. One look and they got the point.   
Actually, he kind of enjoyed that. Violent tendencies didn't come   
to him very often, but that was one time he could justify it for her.   
Poor little Meatball Head.  
  
She did seem little to him in the picture. Nineteen years old now.   
How did she grow up so fast? *Great, now I'm sounding like her   
mother!* But it was true, he would always think of her as little no   
mater how old she got. He would always think back to that   
fourteen-year-old junior higher that hit him on the head with a   
wadded up test paper.  
  
She would always be Meatball Head to him. No mater what   
happened. No mater how long they were together.  
  
"Five years. Has it really been that long?"  
  
  
  
Serena mumbled something and rolled over groggily opening her   
eyes. She closed them again wondering what time it was but not   
wanting to look at the clock. She snuggled back under her covers   
only then realizing that she was wearing a sweatshirt in bed.  
  
She snapped up in recognition as the events of the following   
evening clicked back into her brain. She had fallen asleep on the   
couch with Darien…  
  
Darien.  
  
He must have carried her in and put her to bed without even   
waking her. Granted she was famous for being able to sleep   
through a hurricane, but still! It said something that she had fallen   
asleep basically on top of him but she hadn't gotten any the whole   
day she was alone.  
  
Glancing over she looked at her clock and nearly jumped out of her   
skin. A quarter after eight and she was still in bed! He might have   
put her to bed but he forgot to set the alarm clock. *If he gripes at   
me for being late today I'll kill him!* She stopped with one foot   
out of bed and stared at her bedside stand. Sitting next to her clock   
was a note with the words 'Don't Panic' written on the front.   
Carefully she took it and opened it recognizing her own stationary.  
  
'Dear Meatball Head,  
  
By the time you read this I will probably be at work. Yes, I had to   
go in early today anyway. I'll explain later. I understand if you   
want to stay home today too, but if you're up to it give me a call   
and I won't make you take the subways out. But get some sleep!   
Trust me you can use it.  
  
Don't worry about last night. I just stuck you in bed and you   
dropped off to dreamland. Anyway, take care of yourself and I'll   
see you whenever.  
  
Darien.'  
  
She laughed at the little note in her hands. He was sweet to her;   
most people would have left her on the couch. And then that   
spring would have come out and attacked her! Visions of 'Attack   
of the Killer Couch Springs' began dancing in her head. The   
boyfriend who left his girlfriend on her couch when she fell asleep   
in his arms. He would have covered her sweetly with a blanket   
and kissed her goodbye never knowing that—"  
  
"Man I am schizo!" She moved to get up and then looked back   
down at the note. Get some sleep. "Maybe I will." She hopped   
back into bed and bundled herself back up, note still in hand.   
"Good night Darien."  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "The creative mind plays with the objects it loves"   
-Carl Jung.  
@}--- "The center of every man's existence is a dream"   
G. K. Chesterton.  
  
  
  



	13. Chapter 12

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: This is for some of you that know when something   
goes wrong to look behind you, because there's more are on their   
way.  
  
  
Chapter 12  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Serena is there something wrong? You've been avoiding me all   
week and you haven't said three words to me all night." Neil was   
beginning to worry that this night wasn't going to end well. She   
seemed so distracted and so quiet. It wasn't like her.  
  
She glanced up at him and then back down at her plate, which she   
had been doing a lot tonight. "Serena? Please, tell me what's   
going on."  
  
"I'm sorry Neil," she whispered. She could hardly be heard over   
the din of the restaurant's other patrons.  
  
"For what?" he asked afraid of the answer.  
  
She closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. "Neil, I   
don't think I can do this anymore."  
  
He knew exactly what she meant but he played dumb anyway, not   
wanting to believe it. "Do what?"  
  
She looked up at him for the first real time that night. "Dating you.   
I just don't think it's a good idea. I don't mean to hurt you Neil, I   
really don't. I just can't do this anymore. I'm sorry." She looked   
back down to hide her face from him.  
  
Sorry. Yeah, he was sorry too. He sat looking at her not knowing   
what to say. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong or what   
she needed that he hadn't given her. But then again he already had   
a suspicion about what had come between them. And he was   
beginning to seriously dislike the guy.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered again into his thoughts. "I understand   
if you hate me for this. I really don't mean to hurt you, please   
believe that. I just…" She didn't finish the sentence but added an   
"I'm sorry," instead.  
  
She really didn't mean to do this to him, he knew that. She was   
too sweet a person to intentionally hurt someone. He just wished it   
didn't have to happen at all. "I understand Serena." He really   
didn't but he wasn't going to press the issue. After all he couldn't   
possibly be mad at this woman sitting in front of him. He'd seen   
this coming. But he didn't want to give her up!  
  
"Do you? Can you forgive me?" She looked at him with a   
pleading in her eyes.  
  
"I don't have a choice but forgive you. I don't intend on losing   
you completely. That is unless I can't be your friend anymore   
either." He raised an eyebrow at her with a lot more humor than   
he felt.  
  
She smiled at him gratefully. "No way. I want you as a friend."   
She paused looking happily at him. "Thank you Neil. I really am   
sorry. If I ever figure out my own feelings I'll tell you someday   
why all of this happened."  
  
"I'll look forward to that." *And if I find out it was because of   
Chiba I'll 'accidentally' throw him off the Observatory's cliff!*  
  
She smiled thankfully at him and he melted again. She was quite   
possibly the most wonderful woman he had ever known. How did   
he ever hope to hold on to her anyway? Oh but did he want to try!   
Maybe everything wasn't lost. After all, maybe someday he'd get   
her back. Completely this time.  
  
"So, my dear friend, what do we do tonight?"  
  
  
They ended up going to see some bad space movie. Granted the   
hero guy was really cute, but still Serena had a thing for plot lines.   
Apparently the director didn't.  
  
"You know, I still don't understand why they keep putting women   
in these things just so they can run around screaming and losing   
their clothes," she mumbled to Neil as they waked out of the   
theater.  
  
"I think you just answered your own question."  
  
She laughed at him. Neil was really taking this much better than   
she had imagined. He was the same sweet guy to her, all though   
she would have to admit that she missed his arm around her in the   
movie. But on the bright side they'd still shared popcorn. Of   
course she had eaten most of it anyway.  
  
It's been a great night. She liked Neil. She liked him much more   
now that he wasn't supposed to be something more than a friend.   
And who knew, maybe someday something would come out of it.   
…Well, anything's possible.  
  
They continued their walk to his car with a comfortable silence.   
She wondered if he was really OK with this or if he was just acting   
his way through it. But he seemed relaxed and comfortable with   
her. Maybe he really did understand. She hoped he did, most of   
all she didn't want to hurt him.  
  
But now she had a new good friend and everything was back to   
normal. Well, almost everything.  
  
Darien. What it was that was eating away at her about him she   
didn't know. In all truth she was slightly afraid to find out. She   
didn't understand her emotions and she didn't understand why they   
were going haywire on her now either. But she'd deal with it the   
same way she always did. Pig out on ice cream and sit in front of   
the TV for four hours straight and then go to bed and sleep on it.   
Something always came to her after some rest.  
  
"Well, I hate leaving the night on a bad note so how about we snag   
a late night snack and make fun of all of the characters?"  
  
She laughed at him and nodded vigorously. "Now that sounds like   
an appropriate review for that movie." He opened the door for her   
and she got in. As she watched him walk around the car to his own   
door she again thought about how much he seemed like Darien.   
Sure there were an awful lot of differences, but they had a lot in   
common too. It was really odd; she'd never expected to find   
someone even remotely close Darien's style anywhere, least of all   
in the same city.  
  
"Very well then, off we go!" he said climbing in.  
  
They decided on the Coastal Café near her apartment and were   
simply talking along while they drove. "You know if I were   
captured by ugly slimly aliens I would totally freak! I mean if I   
were that one chick there ain't no way I'd be walking around the   
corridors of my space ship looking for a way out when I knew   
those stupid things were after me. I'd be hiding under my bed   
crying my little eyes out until they went away, or killed me! They   
even knew what part of the ship it was in. So what do they do?   
They go looking for it like it was going to be a cute cuddly little   
thing that would look at them and say 'take me to your leader.' I   
mean like even!"  
  
Neil laughed at her and nodded. "I know, and can you believe that   
leader guy? Why is it that he was the only one that could   
somehow out run that thing through the whole movie when   
everyone else just got eaten?"  
  
"Oh, and not to mention that the blond could trip and fall down   
twenty times before it managed to grab her and then she just hit it   
with a fire extinguisher of all things and it ran away! I don't think   
it liked her either."  
  
"There wasn't any meat on her, it probably wanted a meal."  
  
She laughed hysterically at the comment. "Now that would have   
been a good line! We should write a movie script. We couldn't   
bomb any worse than that."  
  
"Agreed! What do we write on?"  
  
She giggled to herself. "Attack of the Killer Couch Springs!"  
  
He stared at the stop light for a minute and then slowly turned to   
her like she'd lost her mind. "What?"  
  
"It would be totally great! This couch is like possessed or   
something and its springs pop out and start stabbing people!   
You've never sat on my couch or else this would be so much more   
realistic to you."  
  
He looked at her oddly but only shrugged and mumbled, "I think   
you need to get out more."  
  
"I get out plenty, thank you," she snipped back at him.  
  
He laughed at her when something else caught his attention. Down   
the side street on the driver's side came the sound of sirens and   
flashing lights. They made out a blue sports car being chased by   
three police cars. And they were coming their way. Fast!  
  
Serena leaned forward to see around Neil and immediately grabbed   
his arm. The car in front was rushing in at breakneck speed. The   
light had turned green but no one in the line of cars they were in   
was going to move until the police had passed.  
  
The blue car in front raced towards the intersection and was now   
being chased by four police cruisers. It veered in and out of the   
traffic that had been caught in the chase unknowingly. Just before   
it hit their intersection it veered dangerously close to the side of the   
street and then without warning swerved through the intersection   
trying to make a very fast turn to escape pursuit.  
  
But it was going way too fast! Serena gasped as the car swung   
around the intersection and lost half of its grip with the road. The   
driver lost control as he tried force it into the other lane and the   
vehicle careened to the side. But it didn't stop it. The driver tried   
vigorously to correct the speeding car slamming on the brakes and   
placing it into a hard skid.  
  
It didn't stop.  
  
The two lines of cars lined up at the stoplight were directly in the   
path of the out of control vehicle. Fighting the car's momentum   
the driver swiped the wheel back to the other side to avoid a head   
on collision.  
  
He smashed into the line of cars at an angle so as to soften the   
blow. It rolled through four vehicles knocking them to the side   
and rolling one over. It came to a dead halt as it hit the fifth fender   
to fender.  
  
The police screeched to a halt around the intersection. They pulled   
the suspect unharmed from his smashed car. They also pulled   
three uninjured people from the damaged cars. Five others were   
transported to the nearest hospital.  
  
Two were found dead.  
  
  
*@}---*  
  
  
Darien sat at his desk in a mostly darkened apartment. His desk   
lamp was the only one on. He poured over the number in front of   
him as he checked and rechecked his findings. Last week Dr.   
Benton had asked him to work through three different starts. He   
had given him five years worth of data on them, which was quite a   
bit more than normally devoted to a single star. Two or three was   
usually more than sufficient. But these weren't normal stars.  
  
The Global Space Advancement Center based in America was   
charged with documenting and keeping records on the charted stars   
and systems that projects like their own produced. Each time they   
received inconclusive results they sent them out to different places   
in order to have fresh minds look into the problems. It was their   
turn, but Darien didn't exactly think he could call his mind fresh.   
At almost eleven thirty on a Saturday night he didn't know what he   
expected to accomplish.  
  
But in all truth the real work had already been done. The first one   
was rather easy once you turned it upside down and stared at it for   
a few hours. The data itself had to be off in a single measurement.   
There was no way it made sense any other way. But it you   
corrected it by two decimal places it worked fine. Or as fine and a   
binary star system ever came out.  
  
The second would have been impossible if he hadn't been thinking   
along the same lines as the first one. If he accounted for the   
system as a double binary, four stars, than he could see where the   
numbers had come from. Both pairs would be side by side during   
the first look and then on the second measurement they would be   
lined up. The fact that both were pairs resulted in enough distance   
between the two that it threw the calculations off.  
  
The third was a pain all the way around. First off the data for the   
first year looked just fine. A little K class star that had already   
gotten to its red giant stage. Only the second year it was measured   
it was totally off the scale. Something happened in six month's   
time that turned this star into a nightmare. Its spectral signature   
was different and it had already been determined that it had gone   
through Helium Flash were it began burning helium in its core   
instead of hydrogen which it had run out of.  
  
Basically the chemical make up usually didn't make a whole lot of   
difference to him. Ida was the Spectral Type guru and he wasn't   
about to start up a conversation with her as to why this goofy star   
went over the deep end and kept jumping all over the sky.   
Measurements taken in their normal periods showed the star way   
to far away from its starting point, and then on the next pass it   
would be back to normal.  
  
Three years worth of data proved the same thing so it wasn't a   
mistake. The only thing he could think of was that during this   
helium burning the star had become a pulsar. A star leaving the   
main sequence like this usually did show pulsation. If the star   
developed this not only in luminosity but also radius variations   
then it could throw the measurements off enough to make it seem   
to be moving more than it was.  
  
So then the question remained as to how far out there this thing   
was. Here Darien was stuck. That was until Serena popped over,   
listened to the problem and offered the answer to the question. "So   
just throw out all the numbers that don't make sense."  
  
It was quite possibly the simplest explanation that he never would   
have thought of on his own. The star had been caught during   
pulses and non-pulses so that some of the numbers were   
believable. He still had one year's worth of good information to   
start with and several number to choose from of the later years.   
He'd just have to ignore some.  
  
It might not have been the most scientific method, but it was all he   
could come up with. Let someone else find a different answer if   
they wanted to. He got his and it was thanks to Meatball Head's   
suggestion to just throw away what didn't work.  
  
He laughed to himself as he rubbed his eyes and replaced his notes.   
He'd show them to Dr. Benton on Monday and hope that they'd be   
good enough. This extra, see if you can figure these out, thing was   
killing him. He glanced over at his clock and realized he should   
probably just go to bed.  
  
Serena had asked him if he would be on call in case Neil took the   
break up harder than she thought and she needed a ride home from   
wherever he left her at. Apparently he'd been OK with it or else   
she would have called crying over how she hurt him or how he   
said he never wanted to talk to her again.  
  
Poor little Meatball Head. He'd call her in the morning to check   
on how it went, but for now he was going to bed. He stood up and   
licked off the desk light plunging him into darkness.  
  
And of course that was when the phone rang.  
  
  
Darien walked through the sliding doors into the Mercy View   
Hospital at nearly midnight. The lights in the main lobby were   
blinding compared to the outside world. But he wasn't seeing   
much of the world anyway. Everything was either light or dark,   
black or white.  
  
Since Ilene had called him color no longer existed. Neither did   
emotion for that matter.  
  
The feelings he kept expecting didn't come and his brain had   
turned itself off in sympathy. He was left a walking zombie   
without much of any thought in his head. It was like he was   
running on autopilot not knowing which direction he was going.   
Inside he felt hallow. Empty. Alone.  
  
He met the receptionist with a much calmer voice than he'd   
thought he still had. "I was told that a Serena Tsukino was brought   
in earlier this evening because of a car accident. Can you tell what   
her condition is?"  
  
The older woman flipped through a chart at her side before   
responding to him. "Tsukino. Yes, she was brought in about ten   
o'clock with the accident on 43rd street. I'm sorry but no   
information is available on her condition yet."  
  
Nothing. He paused a moment to register the fact that she'd been   
here for about two hours but still no information could be given   
out. Not a good sign, he should have at least been able to find out   
her condition by now. "I know that her family is here. Is there any   
way you can tell me where they might be?"  
  
The woman motioned to her left. "Probably in the emergency   
room's waiting area in the east wing."  
  
Emergence room. Darien felt a very slow knife prick at his heart.   
"Thank you," he mumbled and turned down the hallway she   
mentioned. He barely noticed the people he passed along the   
hallway. He was beyond noticing much of anything. But walking   
into waiting room he couldn't ignore what he saw.  
  
There were several groups of people scattered through out the   
room's couches and chairs. None looked happy to be there. But   
the group he was looking for was buried in a corner sitting idly.   
Sammy sat staring off into space unseeingly. Ken likewise didn't   
seem to be seeing much but there was a nervous twitch to his   
mouth and foot. Ilene lay cradled in his arms. Her red-rimmed   
eyes were the first to find him.  
  
"Darien," she whispered rising from her husband's care to meet   
him. Ken also rose to accompany her as if he were afraid she   
might collapse from walking across the room. Sammy turned to   
regard the new arrival but remained where he was.  
  
He grasped onto Ilene's outstretched hands as she came to his side.   
He noted with a pain the red eyes and the beyond worried   
expression she wore in them. He didn't know exactly what to say   
to her to help her through this. He'd never been good at this sort of   
thing. But there was a much more pressing question weighing on   
his mind. "How is she? Do you know yet?" His voice came out   
quiet but much stronger than he would have thought possible.  
  
She shook her head slowly and he could see tears gather in bit   
more in her eyes. Ken wrapped an arm around her shoulders   
protectively. He was the only one capable of answering him. "The   
doctor said that she has head injuries and a broken collar bone. He   
says that the concussion is what he's worried about. They're still   
running tests on her to see what kind of damage has been done.   
…Apparently she's comatose. They think it may be from the   
blood lose but they aren't sure when or… if she'll come out of it."  
  
The older man swallowed hard and hugged his wife tighter   
possibly to comfort himself as much as to console her. For her part   
Ilene let a single tear slip from her eye and turned to regard Darien.   
She quickly seemed to scan his outward appearance trying to judge   
his reaction.  
  
He wasn't even sure he could tell his reaction. He turned his eyes   
away from them for a moment trying desperately to make himself   
think clearly enough to somehow help them through this. If Serena   
were here she would have known what to do. She was always so   
much more in tune with people's feelings and emotions than he   
was.  
  
But she wasn't here. And he felt that separation start to grow   
inside of him.  
  
He turned back to them not knowing what to say or do but   
knowing that he had to do something. He didn't get the chance.  
  
Ilene seemed to be watching him closely. When he turned back to   
her she looked at him with a pain in her eyes. "That's not all   
Darien," she whispered. Fear stung him without mercy. She   
paused cautiously looking at him to see if he could handle what she   
would say but he didn't turn away and he looked back at her   
needing to know.  
  
"Neil was with her and…" she stopped uncertainly. Catching her   
breath again she looked at him with tears in her eyes once more.   
"He didn't make it out."  
  
His numb brain didn't understand the meaning of her words for a   
few long seconds. When reality clicked in he slowly closed his   
eyes not wanted to believe the conclusion he had come to. "He's   
dead."  
  
He didn't get a response and opened his eyes to see Ilene nodding   
her head absently. He looked up taking a deep breath to calm and   
collect himself again. This wasn't the time or the place to break   
down. "How did this happen?" he asked quietly.  
  
Again Ken answered him. "Some jerk was trying a get away from   
the police and slammed into a line of cars stopped on forty third.   
They were in one of the cars hit…" He didn't continue.  
  
Darien nodded despite the hundred questions burning in his mind.   
It would do no good to put her family through all of the horrors of   
the situation again. He settled himself instead on somehow easing   
the pain they were feeling.  
  
The pain he was feeling.  
  
The numbness was beginning to wear off as he knew more about   
what happened and it was quickly becoming fear. *How could this   
happen? Serena doesn't deserve something like this. She has too   
much to live for. Too many people that would miss her. Too many   
who care. Too many that she would be leaving behind. Too many   
people that loved her…*  
  
Ilene must have noticed the change and she dropped his hands and   
instead hugged him. He wasn't prepared for the move but he   
hugged her back anyway. She seemed so much like Serena. A   
little shorter without the meatballs to add to her height, but very   
close.  
  
Meatball Head.  
  
His heart cried at the name. How could this happen to her? His   
sweet little Meatball Head. She didn't deserve a cold let alone   
something like this.  
  
Ilene pulled away with tears on her checks. He wished he knew   
what to say or do. If she were Serena he'd hug her tightly and let   
her cry her eyes out before letting her go. But he couldn't do that   
now. This wasn't Serena and all of his lofty psychological words   
weren't going to help either.  
  
Ken and Ilene made there way back to the couch they had been   
sitting on before. He followed numbly. He sat down on the other   
end from them next to Sammy's chair. The boy hadn't moved an   
inch since he'd entered. But soon he found himself in the same   
state. For once in his life Darien found himself completely at the   
mercy of his emotions. It was a feeling he didn't like, but he   
couldn't shut it off or make it stop.  
  
He simply sat there thinking about Serena. Little images would   
come up now and then. Her voice, her laugh, her eyes… And he   
wouldn't see that smile or those eyes again—*No! Stop it right   
there! She's going to be just fine, you'll see. She'll be OK and   
back to her happy little self in no time! You understand me! She'll   
be fine!*  
  
He screamed at himself until his head hurt. He raised a hand to rub   
away some of the tension from his forehead. He had to stop this,   
he was driving himself crazy and it wasn't helping any. Of course   
he was already frustrated at the fact that he couldn't do anything.   
He was helpless and that was definitely a feeling he didn't like.  
  
A doctor came into the room looking around for the right group to   
approach. Several doctors and nurses had spent time with each of   
the groups. He assumed that maybe all of the victims families   
were here waiting just like they were. He paused to wonder where   
Neil's parents were now and if they knew yet or not.  
  
Neil. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on his hand. He was   
so young. So in love with life, just like Serena. He could have   
gone on to do anything, be anyone. But now he wouldn't. All   
because of some idiot!  
  
Anger flared real and hot in him at the thought. This wasn't   
supposed to happen; it shouldn't have happened! But it did. It did   
and there was nothing he could do about it now. But the anger   
didn't leave him. It wasn't fair!  
  
"Excuse me. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino?"  
  
Darien looked up to see the same doctor he had watched enter   
standing next to her parents. "Yes!" they both cried in unison.  
  
"I'm Dr. Amory, I've been treating your daughter."  
  
"How is she?" Ken had long since given up on pleasantries and at   
this point he didn't care.  
  
"All of our tests have come back very positive. I believe she is out   
of danger now. She is still unconscious and we aren't sure when   
she'll come out it. It could be tonight or next week, we really   
don't know. We haven't found any signs of permanent brain   
damage, but we will know more after she wakes up. Otherwise she   
has some stitches and a fractured collarbone that doesn't seem too   
serious. She'll be under twenty-four hour observation for at least a   
few days just in case. Now it's up to her to pull through on her   
own."  
  
Ilene sighed thankfully and raised a hand to her chest. Ken nodded   
thoughtfully and Sammy did the same. For his part Darien   
remained the same, but a sense of hope washed over him. She   
would be OK, she had to be.  
  
"She is a very lucky girl. And I'm sorry about the gentleman that   
she was with." He sounded sincere and Darien couldn't help but   
believe that he was. He'd known several doctors in his life and   
while they did seem cold on the outside sometimes, they were in   
this profession first and foremost because they wanted to help   
people. Not being able to save someone in their care had to be the   
hardest thing to get over.  
  
"Do you know if his family has been notified?" Ilene asked   
worriedly.  
  
"I'm sure that every effort has been made to contact them yes."  
  
She nodded. "Is there any way that we can see her?" Ken asked   
hugging his wife again.  
  
The younger doctor shook his head slowly. "No, I'm afraid not.   
She'll be in the intensive care until she wakes up. The best thing   
you can do now is to go home and get some rest. We will call you   
immediately if there is any change."  
  
Ken nodded quietly not wanting to leave more than likely. Ilene   
gave the doctor a grateful smile and said thank you. The younger   
man nodded and turned to leave the room. "Don't worry, she   
seems to be a very strong lady."  
  
Darien watched the man sweep from the room. Relief ran through   
him, but somehow it still didn't ease that hallow, lonely feeling   
inside of him. That small corner of his mind that still sat terrified   
and trembling.  
  
  
  
Darien walked quietly back into his dark apartment at nearly three   
o'clock. The group of them had left the hospital more than an hour   
before but he couldn't make himself go home then. He had driven   
around for a while not knowing where he was going or what he   
was doing. He'd finally ended up in Sunset Park walking along   
the all-too-familiar paths. The gardens were mostly dead and the   
chill in the wind had chased away any other pedestrians on the   
clear October night.  
  
He'd been alone and deep in though standing on the same bridge   
that they would usually stop at. So many conversations, insults,   
and laughs. So many memories came back to him, so many things   
he would take back or live over again. A single bridge could bring   
all of that back into his mind. He hadn't even entered the rose   
gardens knowing what they would bring back to him. Somehow   
he couldn't bare the sight of the fragile rose bushes browning and   
dying slowly.  
  
He had finally come to his senses and told himself that he wasn't   
doing himself any good being out at that time of night lost in   
memories and had come home. Now that he was here he didn't   
know what to do either. He walked into his bedroom without   
bothering with a light. He stood looking at his bed knowing he   
should try to get some rest but every sense in his body told him he   
wouldn't sleep.  
  
He walked back into the living room and sat down in his reading   
chair wondering if he read for a while it would help to make his   
mind quiet down. He clicked on the little lamp next to it and   
picked up the novel he was reading.  
  
He set in back down again without opening it.  
  
He simply sat there for a time unmoving and hardly blinking.   
Slowly he closed his eyes repeating to himself that she'll be OK.   
But he couldn't shake the feelings that assaulted him. What if it   
would have been Serena instead of Neil? What if neither one of   
them had made it out? What if she would have died?  
  
…What if he'd lost her?  
  
He shook his head trying to clear away the questions but they kept   
coming. The last one especially. He stood up attempting to   
control the lump of lead in his chest that seemed to have replaced   
his heart. He shivered in spite of the jacket that he still wore.  
  
He paced a few times around the room trying anything to stop his   
thoughts. He finally stopped in front of his TV. On the shelf   
behind it stood his picture frames, illuminated only partially by the   
dim lighting. A newly framed picture taken at Andrew's wedding   
stood first in line. He stood as a member of the part next to the   
happy couple and Rita's bride's maid… whoever. It only served to   
remind him that he should call him tomorrow and tell Andrew   
what happened.  
  
Beside it stood a picture from graduation. A goofy pose with   
Andrew and a few of his other friends. On the end stood a sliver   
frame holding a couple that looked as different as they really were.   
There was a night and day difference between the tall dark-haired   
man in the back with his arms crossed at the wrists in front of a   
short little blond holding up a peace sign. A loving, sweet,   
beautiful…  
  
He closed his eyes blocking out the image. But the thoughts in his   
mind didn't leave him. They were the ones that he couldn't block   
out. The ones he couldn't forget. The ones that told him that if he   
lost this girl he didn't know if he could go on. The ones that said   
that this was exactly what he feared the most from his uncertain   
life. The very fact that if he got too close to someone he would   
lose them.  
  
He would lose her…  
  
He raised a hand to his head again wanting desperately to block   
away the thoughts. Block away the fear. The fear of losing   
someone so close to him. Someone that he trusted so much.   
Someone, that by all rights, should never have gotten in. He   
should never have allowed someone to become so close that losing   
her would hurt so much. He shouldn't have—  
  
No!  
  
He cared about Serena. Cared about her more than he had ever   
admitted. He couldn't help that. He couldn't help his feelings and   
if he had lost her now then at least he would have known her.   
Known what it was like to be so close to the one person in the   
world that could be so open, so giving… so loving. And that was   
how he would think of it!  
  
Even if his heart ached in his chest and he knew deep inside how   
much pain he was in. The pain and fear that he'd hoped never to   
feel again. Serena had somehow filled the voids in him that his   
loss of family had put there. Without her…  
  
No. Serena was going to be just fine. Just fine!  
  
His heart didn't believe him.  
  
He sunk to his knees in the middle of his living room floor. His   
heart won't stop its abuse on his mind. Irrational fear swallowed it   
whole and it wasn't about to come out of it. He couldn't get   
passed the emptiness in his soul, or the loneliness surrounding him   
like a shroud. He couldn't…  
  
He let the floor support his trembling frame as he wept openly.   
And with each tear, he prayed.  
  
  
"Hello?" Andrew answered the phone as Rita rolled over in bed   
not wanting to face a Sunday morning yet. He poked her playfully   
with an elbow. She only wiggled away from him and snuggled   
back into the covers.  
  
"Andrew? It's Darien."  
  
"Hey Dare! Haven't heard from you in a couple weeks, where   
have you and your lovely assistant been hiding at?"  
  
Rita finally rose halfway in interest. "Is that Darien?" she asked   
quietly. He nodded to her and she leaned over towards the phone   
in his hand. "Hi Darien!"  
  
A "Hi Rita," came over the line.  
  
"He says hi," he told her who flopped back down and bunched the   
covers around her again. "So what's up?"  
  
"Uh, Andrew… I have really bad news."  
  
It wasn't until now that he picked up on his friend's tone of voice.   
The breath caught in his throat as he listened to it. Something was   
really wrong if he could hear it like this. Darien was impossibly   
unemotional when things were wrong. He didn't like showing it,   
and he was usually very good at not letting anyone know about it.  
  
This was not like him.  
  
"Darien, what's wrong? What happened?" This got Rita's   
attention and she sat up next to him with a worried expression. He   
looked at her worried himself.  
  
"It's Serena. She was in a car accident last night with Neil…   
She's hurt pretty bad."  
  
His voice barely came out in a whisper. Andrew wasn't sure if it   
was the news or the tone of his voice that scared him more. "How   
bad?" he asked afraid of the answer.  
  
"She has a serious concussion and head injuries and a fractured   
collar bone. The doctors think that she'll be okay. They don't   
think there's any permanent brain damage, but they… can't tell   
until she wakes up."  
  
He listened in shock and closed his eyes tightly at the end not   
wanted to believe what he had just heard. He felt Rita put a hand   
on his shoulder and turned to look at her. The shock must have   
been as apparent to her as he thought it would be. He swallowed   
hard. "Do they know when she'll come out of it?"  
  
"…No."  
  
That was the only thing he said. Andrew sat there a moment   
staring at nothing before reclaiming his senses. He hadn't noticed   
that Rita had wrapped her arms around him protectively still not   
knowing what was going on. He placed an arm around her and let   
the small contact comfort him as much as possible. "Where are   
you?" he asked thinking of his friend who was more than likely   
alone.  
  
"At home. Ilene Tsukino said that she'd call as soon as she knew   
something. She was the one that called me last night…"  
  
"Listen, I'll be over as soon as I can. Just sit tight will you?" he   
said wanted to be there for him if he couldn't be there for Serena.  
  
"Andrew…"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"That's not all."  
  
Fear crawled up his spine. "What do you mean?"  
  
For a moment the other didn't answer. "Neil… is dead."  
  
"Dead?" he repeated like he'd never heard the word before. Dead.   
He had met the guy only once when he and Rita had met the group   
of them for lunch one afternoon. He knew, through Darien mostly,   
that him and Serena had been dating. But… dead.  
  
"According to what I could find out, he died in the impact." Each   
word was pronounced mechanically. The emotion he had heard   
evident in his voice before was gone. He was back to the stone   
wall that he knew all too well when he was hurt or… scared.  
  
"I'm sorry…" it was all he could think to say. Sorry. It was the   
only thing he could be. But Darien would— "I'll be right over,   
OK."  
  
"You don't need to. I just wanted to tell you…"  
  
"Yeah I know, but I also know you and I'm coming over." He   
didn't leave any room for argument in his tone and somehow he   
knew his friend wasn't going to argue anyway.  
  
"Okay."  
  
He quickly said his goodbye and hung up intent on getting to his   
apartment building as soon as possible. But Rita wasn't letting go   
of him without an explanation. "Andrew what's going on?" Fear   
was evident in her voice as she looked up at him. "What   
happened? Who's dead?"  
  
He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "Serena is in   
the hospital. She was in a car accident with her boyfriend Neil.   
And, uh…"  
  
"Andrew?!"  
  
"Neil didn't come out of it," he whispered into her hair.  
  
She was quiet and simply tightened her hold on him. He kissed the   
top of her head again. "The doctors think she'll be all right   
though. But she hasn't come to yet."  
  
"She's comatose?" she asked raising her head to look at him.  
  
He nodded silently, "I think so."  
  
She closed her eyes showing signs of tears forming at the corners.   
"Darien," she whispered pushing them back. "I'll come with you."  
  
  
Two days. Not a batted eyelash or movement in two days.  
  
Darien stood on his balcony watching the twilight overtake the   
city. He had managed to go to work today despite Romola's   
protests for him to go home and get some sleep. But he couldn't   
sleep. This would be the third night that he would lie awake   
staring at the ceiling afraid of closing his eyes because he knew he   
would see her face. The times when his body did give in to sleep   
he was awaken from a nightmare of her death or her funeral. The   
same haunting emotions always claimed him.  
  
Andrew and Rita had done their best in order to help him through   
this but they weren't the ones he needed right now. All he needed   
was to be sure she would be OK. He'd give anything to be sure   
that she would somehow come back to him.  
  
But what news would there be when she woke up? Neil. He'd   
found out that his family had already had a private burial for him   
earlier that afternoon. His mother and brother had come to the   
Observatory to thank everyone for their concern. Those two   
members of his family had brought at least some closure to him,   
but Darien still didn't know how to react to the younger man's   
death. Still couldn't believe he was gone.  
  
Between the two of them he was left with an empty feeling inside.   
He'd be lying if he said that he was upset about both of them   
equally. He'd known Neil and had liked him. It wasn't fair that   
such a young life should be taken. But Serena…  
  
He didn't let the thought filter through his mind again. He leaned   
against the railing unable to hold his own weight anymore. If he   
didn't get some rest he wouldn't be able to stay out of the hospital   
himself. Not to mention he couldn't remember the last thing he'd   
eaten. He wasn't going to do her any good if she wakes up and   
finds out that he killed himself worrying about her.  
  
Somehow though, this seemed like so much more than simply   
worry. The emotions he'd gone though in two days startled him.   
Fear, loneliness, anxiety, love, hate, and more that he couldn't   
even put a name to all came tumbling in and out just as fast. He   
simply didn't know what to do about any of them.  
  
What else could he do but wait and pray?  
  
  
"Morning Romola."  
  
"Darien Chiba! What in this world are you doing here again and   
out of bed? I am not going to stand you trying to work your way   
through this one more day. So you either go home and sleep, or   
I'll knock you unconscious and throw you into the back room until   
you look well enough to stand up straight. Do you hear me?"  
  
He looked at the older woman shocked for a moment. She had   
been worried about him since this began, much like everyone else   
he knew, but she'd never yelled at him before. "Can we try this   
again? Good morning Romola," he said walking past her anyway.  
  
"No we can not do this again! Darien, it's been four days. You   
can't keep this up forever. You need some rest. I understand that   
you're trying to keep your mind off of it but truthfully you need   
help. Do you even sleep at nights?" She followed him into his   
office and shut the door behind her.  
  
He sat down in his chair and rubbed at his eyes. "No, I don't. I lie   
away thinking of her and when I do nod off I wake up scared to   
death because of the same nightmares. Andrew's even sent me   
sleeping pills!"  
  
She walked over behind him to place a hand on his shoulder. "You   
know that Serena wouldn't want to see you like this. She would   
have the same conniption that I am. You're taking this all too   
hard. You have to just keep telling yourself that everything will be   
all right. She will wake up Darien. She will."  
  
He looked over his shoulder at her. She was doing her best to help   
he knew, but right now he had to do this on his own. "I know,   
somehow I just can't tell the rest of me that. But I'll be fine,   
Romola, really."  
  
"Yes, you'll be fine if you get some sleep."  
  
He rubbed at his eyes again knowing that she was right. "I know."   
He paused, thinking again of the feelings that he was still trying to   
hide from "I never knew something like this could be so hard."  
  
"Losing someone you love is never easy. Even if you don't   
actually lose them. You're feeling that same pain even though   
your rational mind knows that somehow she'll be okay again."   
She placed her hands on his shoulders attempting to comfort him   
as much as she could.  
  
He thought quietly on her words for a moment. It was true, if   
she'd died he would probably be doing the same thing. His   
emotions would probably be the same, even if now he did have the   
comfort of knowing that he would see her again. "I can only   
imagine what her family is going through. If I'm this torn up I   
don't know what I'd do if I truly loved her. You know, I've   
wondered about that a lot lately. What they must be going   
through."  
  
"Somehow I think you know more than you might think." She   
walked around to lean against his desk in front of him. "You may   
not be exactly in love with her, but I think if you're completely   
honest with yourself you'd admit that you do love her."  
  
It was a very blunt statement but it stabbed him. "What do you   
mean?"  
  
She smiled knowingly at him. "Oh, it's a lot of things. The way   
you are when you're with her. The way you know her inside out.   
The times you finish each other's sentences. The way you look at   
her… Might I also add that I don't think this is exactly one sided   
at all." She smiled at his shocked features. "Honestly, Darien,   
have you ever thought about what would happen if you fell in love   
with her?"  
  
He looked away from her for a moment. Yes, he'd thought of it,   
but it was always in the context of 'what would it be like to love   
her?' He'd never believed that it was even remotely possible for   
them to truly love each other. He'd said that to Andrew as well.   
They were meant to be friends, and that was all. How could he   
possibly consider them more? How could he consider himself   
capable of being worthy of her heart? And why would he subject   
her to his when he had never known what love really was?  
  
"Darien." Romola had kept a vigil while he was lost in thought.   
"Listen to your heart. After all, your mind isn't capable of loving   
anyone. You're heart is the only one that can decide that."  
  
He looked at her knowing that she was right and knowing exactly   
why he'd never heard the truth in those words before. "That's the   
problem. I stopped listening to my heart a lifetime ago. I don't   
know if it has a voice anymore."  
  
She laughed lightly at him. "Don't believe that for one minute.   
Your heart talks to you as much as it always has. That's why   
you're going through this now. If you couldn't hear your heart you   
wouldn't be sitting here looking like a holocaust survivor. You   
hear it every time you think of her, and every time it tells you how   
much you care. It's the one that proves you're scared of losing her   
and it's the one that hasn't realized yet what your mind knows.   
That she will be all right and that she will wake up."  
  
He nodded slowly understanding something about himself for   
possibly the first time in his life. "So how do I tell my heart that?"  
  
She smiled. "You have a conversation with it."  
  
  
_____________  
Dedicated in memory of Joyce Bird.  
@}--- "A man's greatest strength develops at the point   
where he overcomes his greatest weakness" -Elmer G. Letterman.  
@}--- "I have been driven many times to my knees by the   
overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go" –Abraham   
Lincoln.  
  
  



	14. Chapter 13

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Through every difficulty, may you have a friend.  
  
  
Chapter 13  
*@}---*  
  
  
Darien had finally gotten to sleep. His body had given out and for   
once his sleep was uninterrupted by nightmares. Of course that   
didn't stop the phone from waking him.  
  
He came out of deep sleep taking a minute to identify the sound   
that had wakened him. He automatically reached for the alarm   
clock but stopped noticing that the sound was gone. For a second   
he thought he was imagining things. Then it came again and this   
time his sleep-starved brain recognized it.  
  
Phone!  
  
He grabbed it from its cradle, successfully wrapping himself   
tightly in his sheets at the same time. "Hello."  
  
"Darien! Oh, it's Ilene. The hospital just called! Serena woke up   
about an hour ago. They've already started the extra tests on her   
so they said that we should be able to see her once they move her   
to a normal room, probably early this afternoon."  
  
He sighed hearing the news that he'd been waiting so long for.   
"Did they say if she was all right or not?"  
  
"No, they aren't done checking her over yet so I guess they don't   
know. But I'm going to ask that same thing as soon as I can. Ken   
took Sammy out to help set up for a story that he's taking pictures   
for at the palace gardens tonight and I can't reach them yet. I've   
left messages with everyone I know so they should get it soon   
enough."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"Will you come by later Darien? I'm sure she'll want to see you. I   
mean if you aren't wrapped up in something."  
  
He laughed looking down at the covers that were trying to strangle   
him. "I'll be there, what time are you going?"  
  
"I don't know. They said that they'd call when she was settled into   
a new room. Can I give you call when I leave?"  
  
"Please do. You have our number at work too right? I may be   
there."  
  
"Yes, I have it. Will you tell Dr. Benton when you see him?"  
  
"Of course I will," he said thinking of Romola's face when he told   
her.  
  
"Oh, good. I'm going to call the girls yet and let them know.   
They've all been worried sick too. The poor things, I'm sure   
they'll be very glad to hear it."  
  
"I think we all are." Actually glad didn't begin to describe what he   
felt at the moment.  
  
"I know," she answered quietly. "Well then, I'll see you later   
dear."  
  
"Thank you Mrs. Tsukino."  
  
She laughed lightly although he thought he could hear a few tears   
in her voice. "Thank you too Darien."  
  
  
"Romola!"  
  
She looked up from the papers spread across her desk. "Darien! I   
sent you home to get some sleep. What on Earth are you doing   
back here again today?"  
  
He laughed at her and walked around to pull her up from her chair.   
"She woke up! Her mother called me to say that we'll be allowed   
to see her sometime this afternoon. They should have her all   
checked through and moved by then."  
  
He got her to her feet and hugged her in spite of himself. She   
simply hugged him back in shock. "She's awake?" she mumbled   
not fully understanding yet.  
  
"Romola! I leave for two minutes and I find you draped all over a   
younger man." They both looked up to see Norman Benton enter   
the office note pad and briefcase in hand. He coughed into his   
hand. "Now that I have your attention might I ask if our beloved   
little Serena would be the one who's finally woken up?"  
  
Darien laughed and nodded. Romola detangled herself from his   
arms and swept to her husband's side. "Isn't in wonderful   
Norman!"  
  
He laughed at her and hugged her pecking a kiss on her lips. "Yes   
it is." He turned to Darien. "Have you gotten to see her yet?"  
  
"No, her mother said that she'd call me when she was told that she   
could have visitors."  
  
"Well then," Romola piped up. "I think we'd better put together a   
'get well soon' package."  
  
  
Darien walked into the Mercy View Hospital feeling much better   
than he had the first time around. Even the hospital atmosphere   
had changed. It was in color!  
  
"Excuse me." The receptionist held up a finger to him while she   
finished flipping through a book at her side without looking up at   
him. For a moment he contemplated finishing his sentence with a   
'I think I'm on fire. Would you mind helping me find an   
extinguisher?' but he figured she wouldn't find as much humor in   
it as he did.  
  
OK, so he was even back to his normal goofy puns.  
  
"Yes, sir," she said finally acknowledging him.  
  
"Could you tell me what room Serena Tsukino is in?"  
  
"One moment." She typed away at her computer before turning   
back to him. "South wing. Room 473." She pointed down the   
opposite hallway from the one he had been shown last time.  
  
"Thank you," he said marching down the hallway. After a few   
minutes of wondering around the wing he'd found himself in he   
still hadn't figured out how they numbered the rooms. *Why is it   
that hospitals always use some odd sort of numbering system when   
they put their rooms together? Were med-students required to take   
'foreign numbering' as one of their courses or what?*  
  
He finally asked one of the orderlies meandering around, and   
actually ended up in front of the right door. He poked his head   
through the open doorway and found that he had to be in the right   
place. Ilene Tsukino sat in a small chair placed by the bedside   
reading. Leaning a little farther in he managed to see the form   
lying in the bed.  
  
His heart nearly stopped in his chest. Serena laid there with her   
face turned away from him. Her hair, which was no longer in its   
accustomed style, lay haphazardly around her frame. In the   
afternoon light filtering through the window next to her it gave off   
a golden glow. One hand lay in her mother's next to her and the   
other was placed over her stomach.  
  
For a minute he simply leaned against the doorframe watching her   
obviously sleeping figure. If his heart had any doubts left that she   
would be all right it had forsaken them now. His poor little angle   
lay there quietly, much like she had only a few weeks before when   
she'd fallen asleep in his arms. So peaceful and serene. He smiled   
to himself, for once her name actually fit.  
  
He wasn't sure how long he simply stood there watching her.   
From his point of view he couldn't find anything wrong with her.   
No tubes or wiring extended from her and no bandages were in   
sight. She looked perfectly normal and happily sleeping, but he   
knew that she was probably still hurting. Especially if she'd   
already learned of Neil's… of Neil. Ilene flipped a page in her   
book and for a minute looked over at her daughter. Both women   
faced away from the door and hadn't noticed him.  
  
Time to change that.  
  
He walked in quietly hoping not to disturb Serena's slumber. Ilene   
looked up to see him approach, a smile twinkling for him, which   
he returned. She looked so much like her daughter when she did   
that.  
  
"Hello Darien," she whispered.  
  
"Hello Mrs. Tsukino. How's our patient?"  
  
She laughed slightly and turned to her again slowly easing her   
hand out of the younger woman's kissing it lightly. She stood and   
walked with him towards the door before answering him. "The   
doctors say that she'll be just fine. She has some stitches across   
her right temple and a brace to try to stabilize her collarbone while   
it mends. Otherwise she's tested out just fine."  
  
He nodded thankfully, her words touching home. She would be   
perfectly all right.  
  
"Her medications have her extremely drowsy though so she's slept   
mostly. Ken and Sammy won't be able to be here until at least five   
so I've stayed with her. But something tells me that you wouldn't   
mind a watch or two," she smiled at him.  
  
"If you don't mind, yes I would."  
  
She nodded before looking away, serious again. "Darien, she   
asked the doctors about Neil when she came to and they told her…   
But she hasn't said a word about him to me. I think she's still in   
shock or something. Maybe she'll talk to you."  
  
He closed his eyes a moment. So she already knew. He'd   
wondered how he would tell her if he had to. But now he had to   
think of a way to help her through this. Not only did she have her   
own health to worry about but also the pain of his death. "I'll see   
what I can do."  
  
"I know you will. Will you stay with her until I get back? I'll try   
to hurry the guys."  
  
He smiled down at the older woman. "Take your time. I don't   
mind in the least."  
  
She looked at him thankful for a moment before taking his hand a   
squeezing it affectionately. She looked back at Serena for a   
moment before saying goodbye and heading out the door. He   
watched her leave and slowly took her place in the chair beside   
Serena's bed.  
  
  
Serena slowly opened her eyes again. The sun shown in through   
the window she was facing. For a moment she didn't know where   
she was until the vague memories filed themselves back into their   
respective places. Memories she wouldn't mind forgetting. But   
they were still there in front of her mind's eye.  
  
She closed her eyes again gathering her strength together again.   
She slowly reached a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes as she   
rolled away from the sun's glare. Her mother had been with her   
most of the day and she was expecting to find her still sitting there   
when she heard a just as familiar voice come from her side.   
"Meatball Head?"  
  
She popped her eyes open as she turned to see Darien sitting where   
her mother had been when she fell asleep. His eyes were trained   
on hers and she could see the telltale blood shots that announced   
the lack of sleep that her mother seemed to have been suffering   
from as well. He looked worried but other than that he was the   
same old stabile friend that she was used to. And the one, she   
admitted immediately, that she needed.  
  
"Darien?" she croaked out in a small whisper. She coughed lightly   
trying to get her vocal cords into working order again.  
  
"It's all right," he whispered taking her hand in his. But his hand   
wasn't what she wanted. She tried desperately to sit up but he beat   
her to it. He hopped over from his chair to her bed and placed his   
other hand gently against her shoulder, sufficiently restraining her.   
"You need your rest." Slowly he eased her back down to her   
pillow.  
  
"I've apparently been 'resting' for most of a week. What I need is   
you to help me up for a minute." She wasn't about to spend the   
rest of her life on her back and she wasn't going to start acting like   
it.  
  
"Serena…"  
  
She lightly brushed his hand away from her shoulder and elbowed   
her way up to a sitting position. He helped her up and reached   
behind her to arrange her pillows so that she could lean back   
against them. But with his arms already half way around her she   
didn't feel like moving away from him.  
  
She looked up at him and caught his eyes when he turned back to   
her. He stopped possibly seeing the look in hers. He gently   
wrapped his arms around her scooting closer to lay her against his   
chest. She accepted gratefully sliding her arms around him.  
  
She noticed immediately that he held her carefully, possibly afraid   
that he'd hurt her. But she felt him gently lean down to kiss the   
top of her head lightly a few times before he laid his check softly   
on top of her forehead. She sighed and closed her eyes snuggling   
against him letting his warmth comfort her heart.  
  
They both remained silent for a while simply staying close   
together. She opened her eyes again as she felt him shift slightly to   
kiss her bangs again. "Serena," he whispered, "you have no idea   
how much you scared me."  
  
There were so many emotions hidden behind his voice and she   
knew exactly how scared he must have been. She curled her legs   
around his side and snuggled as close to him as possible, silently   
cursing the brace across her shoulders that didn't allow her to hug   
him any tighter than she was. But he pressed her closer to him   
gently, careful to make sure he wasn't going to hurt her in the   
process. "I'm sorry Darien, I'm sorry…"  
  
He chuckled softly. "It's all right. All I care about is you. And   
right now all I want to hear is that you're okay."  
  
She sighed closing her eyes and just letting him support her. "I'm   
okay." She was lying.  
  
He held her for an uncountable period of time. Occasionally he   
would rub his hand over her back or kiss her hair again but he   
didn't say a word. And she lay in his arms weeping silently.   
There wasn't any reason for the tears, and at the same time there   
were too many reasons.  
  
…Neil.  
  
She buried her face in his shirt trying to hide the sobs that were   
threatening to over-take her. But it had always been useless to try   
to hide something from Darien. He noticed and silently brushed   
away some of her hair that had fallen into her eyes. He tucked it   
behind her ear and slowly lowered his face next to hers. She raised   
her head so that it rested just below his jaw, her nose pointed so   
that it almost touched his chin.  
  
There in his comforting embrace she could feel her fears melting   
away from her. He was here and real. Everything in him told her   
that she would be all right. She felt that same strong protection   
and her heart began to feel safe again, even though she still felt that   
empty hole in the middle of her chest.  
  
She let her tears subside and risked taking a hand away from   
around him in order to wipe them away. A part of her was afraid   
that if she let go he would disappear. But he simply leaned down   
to kiss her forehead while she sniffed away the tears, and gently   
tucked her back under his chin. "It's all right," he whispered. "I   
understand."  
  
She closed her eyes again letting him take over her senses. He   
always understood her and he was always there for her. She   
slowly snuggled into him knowing just how much she needed him   
and knowing acutely how much pain she must have put him   
through. Her poor, dear Darien would have been terrified at the   
prospect of losing her. Much like what would happen to her if the   
situation was reversed.  
  
But Neil was a different story. She had admitted to herself that   
Darien meant more to her, but she still couldn't believe…  
  
"Darien?" she whispered. "Is Neil really… gone?" She bit her   
lower lip to keep it from trembling.  
  
He slowly ran a hand through her hair to try to calm her. "Yes,   
Serena, he is."  
  
She closed her eyes again as two tears rolled down. She didn't   
want to believe it. But she knew deep in her heart that it was true.   
He wouldn't lie to her, but she just… She broke off into sobs as   
the truth truly dawned in on her. He was dead. He had been right   
there beside her. Right next to her and he'd died right there beside   
her. He was dead! And only the few inches between them had   
spared her life. Why? Why take him? Why not let him stay with   
her? Why?!  
  
She sobbed incoherently as Darien held her close, rocking her   
slightly. He didn't know what else to do. He wanted to be able to   
dry her tears away and tell her that it would work out. That he   
would somehow make everything all right again. But he couldn't.   
He couldn't bring Neil back and he couldn't take this pain in her   
heart away. All he could do was hold her and try to be there for   
her. It was all he could do, and he hated it.  
  
He wanted to sweep her away somewhere that she'd be safe   
forever. He wanted to make her forget this ever happened. He   
wanted to keep her locked away from any other pain that could   
possibly hurt her ever again. But he couldn't, all he could do was   
hold her close and hope that somehow he could keep her safe for at   
least a time.  
  
Slowly her sobs quieted, the strain finally beginning to take its toll   
on her. He leaned back from her just a bit as she sniffed again   
trying to let go of her tears. He brushed a hand over her check to   
help her rid the trails from her face. She looked up at him with a   
mixture of sorrow and hope in her eyes. But the red rims betrayed   
her. His poor little princess, she didn't deserve this. He leaned   
back to her and kissed her forehead again just trying to stay close   
to her. He held her there a moment fighting against his own tears.   
She didn't need to see this from him, she needed support and he   
wasn't about to her down.  
  
He finally broke away noticing the weakness in the arms she still   
had around him. He gently lowered her back against her pillow.   
She didn't argue this time. "Darien, what time is it?" she asked   
quietly.  
  
He looked at his watch wondering why she would ask. "Uh, four   
fifteen."  
  
"Oh. Mom said that Dad and Sammy wouldn't get here until   
probably five. I wonder where they are."  
  
She lie there looking a little glassy-eyed and he wondered how   
long she could stay awake. "Your mother said they were setting   
up for some banquet thing at the Imperial Gardens tonight.   
Apparently your father is taking pictures for the paper at it."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," she said looking back to him.   
"Thanks for coming Darien," she whispered. "I really needed you   
here."  
  
Tears began to form themselves in her eyes once more. He   
couldn't bare to see her cry again and brushed a hand across her   
check smiling down at her. "Don't thank me, just remember I'll be   
here any time you need me. I promise," he added.  
  
She smiled at him. He laughed lightly at her bangs that kept trying   
to fall into her eyes since they weren't curled up like she normally   
had them. He brushed them back trying to tuck them behind her   
ear. He stopped short.  
  
He hadn't noticed before but now that he had moved her hair away   
he could see the stitches that trailed from the corner of her   
forehead across her temple and ended in her hairline. Her right ear   
was bruised and scratched. Small scrapes and bruises traced from   
her jaw line down her neck. He could just make out the brace that   
was stretched across her shoulders under her gown to immobilize   
her collarbone.  
  
He found himself trying to track his hand down her injuries when   
she silently took his hand in hers. He looked back up to her eyes   
but she turned away hiding her right side from view. "Serena," he   
breathed not knowing what else to say. Full realization smashed   
into him and his heart froze. For possibly the first time he knew   
just how close he had come to losing her. And it scared him all   
over again.  
  
He brought the hand she had wrapped in his up to his lips and   
kissed it lightly closing his eyes against the thoughts flowing   
through his head. "Darien?" He opened them again to look down   
at her. She looked back, worried. "Darien, are you all right?" She   
raised her other hand to brush his face gently.  
  
He sighed looking at her. He took her other hand as well.   
"Promise me you will be," he whispered back to her deadly   
serious.  
  
She stared at him afraid or shocked a moment before settling for a   
quiet affectionate look. "I will be," she said with a light air that   
made him believe her. She used their intertwined hands to pull   
him down to her.  
  
He responded with a smile, propping himself up on his elbows   
above her. She raised herself to place a kiss on his check before   
whispering, "Don't worry about me. I'm not about to leave you."   
He closed his eyes savoring those words. He wrapped an arm   
around her to keep her close for a second longer then lowered her   
back to the bed adjusting the pillow under her head.  
  
"You'd better not," he teased quietly. He leaned down pecking a   
kiss on the tip of her nose. She giggled at him but her eyes weren't   
going to stay open much longer. "Good night Meatball Head," he   
whispered.  
  
She smiled slightly, "Night Muffin."  
  
  
Darien paused to glance around the corner of Serena's doorframe.   
She sat in bed reading quietly to herself. For once her mother   
wasn't with her, but he figured that since she'd known he was   
coming she may have left her side a little early.  
  
He knocked lightly on the frame beside him to get her attention.   
She looked up and smiled brightly at him, all thoughts of her   
reading material forgotten. He laughed at her. That same bright   
smile…  
  
He walked in, quickly hiding his surprise behind his back. It didn't   
escape her notice. "Oh, what have got? Something for me?!   
Darien you didn't need to. What is it?!" He thought for a minute   
that she was going to jump out of bed to attack him to find out   
what it was. She really was acting much more like herself.  
  
"And I thought those medications were suppose to make you calm   
down not go hyperactive. Oh, wait, you're always hyperactive."   
He paused thoughtfully.  
  
"For your information I am off all of my medications except one,"   
she huffed. "And I am not hyperactive! Now give, what is it?"   
She switched from a normal sitting position to sitting on her knees   
as she snagged her pillow up in her arms rather than lying on it.  
  
He laughed at the cute picture she made, and he noted with some   
amusement that her 'meatballs' had found their way back to their   
rightful place. "OK, calm down. These are for you," he said   
holding out the bouquet he'd been hiding. Six white and six pink   
roses stared back at her. They even retained some of the raindrops   
from the storm brewing outside.  
  
She gasped and sat there looking at them with her mouth open in   
shock. She was so cute when she was like that. OK, so she was   
always cute. And right now all he wanted to do was sit there and   
think about how cute she was! *Boy, am I losing it here or what?*  
  
She finally remembered to close her mouth and cover it with one   
hand as she looked from the flowers to him again. There was a   
slight sparkle of tears in her eyes and she dropped her hand to give   
him a quick smile. "Darien…" She turned away with a blush   
rising in her checks. "Why do you always do this?"  
  
"Do what?" he asked innocently hiding his smile and sitting down   
on her bed.  
  
"This!" she said wiping away a single tear and motioning to the   
roses.  
  
"Well, gee, if I'd known I was going to upset you I would have   
gone with the carnations."  
  
She laughed at him taking the flowers from him carefully. "I don't   
like carnations."  
  
He chuckled, "I know."  
  
She laughed too taking a moment to brush a hand over their petals.   
"They're beautiful," she whispered. "But you shouldn't have.   
They probably cost a fortune! And, Darien Chiba, where do you   
get off giving me roses!"  
  
"You never minded before," he said innocently.  
  
"You didn't give me a full dozen! And besides, these are way too   
expensive." She looked back down at them noting the crystal vase   
that they were perched in. But her eyes softened as she gazed over   
them again. "But they are beautiful."  
  
"They reminded me of you," he said feeling very sappy.  
  
"Oh stop," she giggled as she moved them to a place on her   
nightstand, which was already cluttered with 'get well' cards.   
Most probably from the girls he imagined. She set them down   
carefully and then launched herself into his arms. "Thank you,"   
she whispered in his ear.  
  
"You're welcome," he whispered back. "But I have another   
surprise for you."  
  
She shot away from him. "Whatever it is you're taking it back to   
the store!"  
  
He laughed uncontrollably and before he could say anything a new   
voice popped up from the doorway. "Sorry dear, but they won't   
take this old model back."  
  
She looked up and gasped slapping both hands over her mouth   
before she began giggling again. "Romola!"  
  
The older woman swept into the room holding a package in her   
hands. She walked over and gave Serena a hug looking her over   
carefully. "Well now, these doctors had better be taking good care   
of you or I'll smack them around a few times until they do."  
  
She laughed at her. "They've already had Dad tell them the same   
thing."  
  
"Oh, well, good then." She sat down on the chair that was still set   
beside her bed. "Now then, if I might be so bold as to offer you   
this after the berating you just gave him," she nodded towards   
Darien, "here."  
  
She held out the flower-patterned box. Serena took it looking from   
her to him and back again. "Oh, Romola, you didn't have to.   
What is it?"  
  
The other woman smiled. "Open it and find out."  
  
She looked at him and he smiled enjoying this. She looked down   
at it and then untied the ribbon that held it together. She carefully   
opened the lid and—  
  
"CHOCOLATE!"  
  
They both laughed at her and she immediately stole a piece and ate   
it like she was in the middle of a craving fit. Romola looked over   
at him with a smile. "You see, I told you she wouldn't mind our   
little 'get well' gift."  
  
"Oh, no way, you really shouldn't have," she said around her bite.   
"But I'm soooo glad you did!" They all laughed as she snagged   
another piece and forced both of them to take one too. "You just   
don't understand how bad hospital food is! I mean for a while   
there I thought I was going to have to get better just so that I could   
eat some real food again. Oh, but gee, don't tell them that OK?"   
she said lowering her voice.  
  
They continued to laugh their way through a couple hours.   
Romola was the first to notice the time. "Oh dear! Norman will   
kill me if I'm late. We have to be at some expo-something or other   
tonight." She paused her tirade enough to hug Serena again. "I'm   
so glad you're almost out of this place dear. Your desk is lonely   
without you, not to mention that partner of yours." She gave him a   
devilish smile before giving her one last squeeze and nearly   
running out the door.  
  
"She's going to get me in trouble yet," he mumbled watching her   
go. He wasn't prepared for Serena to throw her arms around him   
and hug him fiercely. He turned back to her, managing to turn   
enough in her grasp to hug her back. "Uh, Serena?"  
  
He heard her giggle lightly. "I'm sorry," she said letting go and   
looking up at him.  
  
"Oh, don't be sorry," he said not exactly wanting to let her go   
anyway.  
  
She laughed at him again. Her unruly bangs draped themselves   
back into her eyes for the hundredth time and she attempted to   
blow them away. It didn't work. Chuckling he brushed them over   
and tucked both sides behind her ears. She had some of the   
stitches out already and she looked much better all the way around.   
But he still worried about her a bit. Every once in a while she   
would laps into a silent stare and he knew that the emotional scars   
would be much longer lasting than the physical ones.  
  
"You really do need to find a way to get a curling iron snuck in   
here don't you?" he teased lightly.  
  
"Yeah! The first thing I do tomorrow when I get home is curl   
these stupid things! Or maybe I'll cut them short so I don't have to   
curl them anymore. I don't know, all I know is that everyone   
keeps dropping by and I keep looking awful!"  
  
He laughed and pulled her into a hug. "You look beautiful," he   
said into her hair.  
  
She laughed, "If you think this is beautiful it sure doesn't take   
much to impress you does it?"  
  
"All it takes is you."  
  
She sighed contentedly. "You really have to stop saying things   
like that. You're going to spoil me."  
  
"I thought that's what women are for."  
  
"To be spoiled? Where did you come up with that?" she asked   
looking up at him.  
  
"The book I'm reading. 'A Hundred and One Ways to Pick Up   
Women in Hospitals.'"  
  
She slugged him in the shoulder before using the same hand to pull   
him towards her. She quickly gave him a kiss on the check and   
hugged him again tightly. "Thank you so much Darien. I would   
never have made it through this without you."  
  
He hugged her back tightly, knowing that she hadn't completely   
gotten through this yet.  
  
  
By the time the hospital's lights were turned off and a quiet had   
settled over it the storm outside had escalated. The lightning and   
thunder was enough to keep her awake, but she hadn't intended on   
sleeping much anyway. This was the last night she would have to   
spend in this place and it couldn't have waited any longer to get   
here!  
  
She simply laid there watching the storm blow out its frustrations.   
Nurses and orderlies passed by her room on their way to   
somewhere else. Somehow she wondered if everyone walked   
through life trying to get somewhere else. How many times did   
she wonder what would happen if she died? How many times did   
she wonder if everyone she cared about would go on? How many   
times did she think of whether or not they would eventually forget   
her?  
  
Now she knew. She had seen it written in the eyes of every person   
that came to her bedside. And she was sorry she had put them   
through it. But most of all, she was sorry she had to go through it   
herself.  
  
A call came over the intercom for some doctor or another and she   
turned away from the door to watch out her window. For a while   
she just wanted to forget she was in a hospital. She just wanted to   
watch the storm blow over.  
  
Odd, she hated rainstorms but yet she wasn't the slightest bit   
frightened of it now. Somehow it seemed comforting to know that   
there were other things in life that she had no control over. Her   
life could be summed up in the things that had been thrust upon   
her. Forcing her to bend and lean in whichever direction they   
blew. She had to learn to move with it. If she fought, there was no   
way she would stand up again; she wasn't strong enough.  
  
And she didn't feel strong enough for anything now. Lying there   
alone she wondered if she could manage to get back up from this   
or if she would always be slightly bent.  
  
A bolt seared by her window with a shattering blast just behind it.   
She jumped up in bed and away from the window in fear. Storm   
analogies were fine as long as it didn't try to kill her in the process.   
So maybe she would have to bend more with the problems that   
rose in life, but she could still be afraid of lightning storms!  
  
She sat up in bed with the covers drawn up to her chest staring out   
the window. Another bolt flashed past startling her again. She   
silently hoped that there weren't any small children near windows   
with the same view as hers. It could scare the daylight of a kid.  
  
A thought flashed past her mind as sudden as a thunder bolt.   
Darien. He had said that he liked rainstorms and thunder and   
lightning never fazed him. She'd commented more than once on   
his iron nerves, but as she watched out her window she wondered   
if he had ever spent a night like this. After the accident that had   
left him with amnesia and without a family she knew that he had   
spent a good couple of months in a hospital before being moved to   
the orphanage.  
  
She could envision a small boy about eight years old sitting in bed   
watching a storm like this one. He would have been scared to   
death but what could he do? A hospital wasn't much of a place to   
find real comfort or solace, especially without any family or   
friends or anyone that truly seemed to care. The insecurities had to   
be impossible to bare. How could he have gotten through that?  
  
She scooted back against the wall behind her and pulled her pillow   
up so that she could hug it to her. How could such a small boy   
ever work his way out of those fears and those scars? But she   
knew Darien; she knew what that little boy had grown in to. A   
man that tended to hide himself away from others. That didn't like   
to get too close for fear of losing them. Someone that had become   
so completely accustomed to shutting away his emotions that it   
was just his nature anymore.  
  
But yet, she mused, that didn't describe the real Darien she knew.   
The man she knew had a heart as hard as a diamond but it was   
worth three times as much. He had a protective nature that would   
make him meet death itself before he would let anything happen to   
those he cared about. He cherished the people close to him even   
though he didn't let many in. He was fiercely devoted to them and   
he wasn't a person that could use someone or ignore someone in   
need, even if he tended to ignore his own. He was completely   
selfless when one of his friends needed him.  
  
When she needed him.  
  
She couldn't believe that the same little boy that knew next to no   
real love in his life would turn into the man that she admitted   
openly that she cared so much for. And who had proved time and   
again that he cared for her just as much. How could someone who   
was so sweet and compassionate to her when she needed him not   
have known that same feeling when he needed it. Perhaps   
someone had been there for him. Someone that worked in the   
hospital or in the orphanage maybe. Maybe he did have someone   
that was there for him.  
  
With all her heart she hoped so. She couldn't bare the thought of   
him been alone and frightened like that. Such a gentle soul should   
never have had to go through that. But then again, if he hadn't he   
wouldn't be the same man she knew now. There won't be a   
Darien right? Hadn't he said that to her once?  
  
She looked over at the roses that sat perched on the table beside   
her. Her dearest Darien. She promised herself that she would not   
let him feel that again. She would be there for him with open arms   
if he ever needed her. After all, he was always there for her.  
  
She brushed the roses with one hand looking lovingly at them.   
White and pink. White still meant friendship but she wondered   
what pink was suppose to represent. She thought for a minute   
trying to remember what pink symbolized. Wasn't it passion?   
Pink and red were normally the colors of love. Red for true love   
and pink for passion or involvement…  
  
A passionate friendship. Yes, she supposed that would fit well   
enough. Darien would know exactly what each color stood for.   
He loved roses; why she didn't exactly know, but she would just   
have to ask him that someday. She laughed at herself looking over   
at the beautiful flowers next to her. "They remind you of me do   
they? Well, my darling, I think they remind me of you even   
more."  
  
She looked back out at the storm smiling to herself. She felt a bit   
stronger with him in her mind. He had always been her strength   
and he still was, even when he wasn't by her side. The lightning   
flickered past again but the storm was slowly passing away.  
  
Passing away indeed.  
  
She yawned tiredly and laid back down again giving the vase one   
last look. "Night, Darien."  
  
_____________  
@}--- "In three words I can sum up everything I've   
learned about life. It goes on." -Robert Frost.  
  
  



	15. Chapter 14

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: All right, I owe you some happy scenes.  
  
  
Chapter 14  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Hey Dr. Benton, how's it going?"  
  
He turned to regard the young woman who had hopped into his   
office. "Well hello Serena. Everything seems to be going just fine   
today. What about you and your dear partner?"  
  
She giggled at the comment and rolled her eyes. "I still think   
Darien works too hard but other than that we're fine."  
  
Romola chuckled at the exchange before Serena hopped up to sit   
on the other side of her desk. "Well he does," she said seeing her   
obvious amusement.  
  
"Yes, it seems to be an epidemic around here," she said glancing   
over to her husband who was now trying to sneak out of the room   
unnoticed.  
  
He stopped short. "Well, now if us men didn't do our jobs what   
would the two of you do all day?"  
  
They looked at each other quickly, "Oh, we'd find something to   
occupy our time with Darling," she mumbled back to him.  
  
"Yeah, besides, the two of you could stand some down time   
anyway," Serena added.  
  
"Yes," she agreed, "then we could go shopping!"  
  
The younger girl laughed evilly. "Oh, you have no idea how badly   
I need a shopping trip! I'm calling all of the old group home from   
college this weekend so we can get together and do some serious   
clothes hoarding. You want to come with us? We're going for a   
record weekend of hitting every major shopping center in Tokyo!"  
  
She laughed at her enthusiasm but she could already feel her feet   
starting to hurt. "No, no Dear. You all go right ahead. I'm much   
too old to keep up with a group of teenagers. Besides, if I came   
home with a bunch of clothes modeled after your fashion sense   
Norman over there would commit me!"  
  
Serena giggled and her husband came over to lean against her   
chair. "Oh, I don't know Dear. I think some of those little pink   
skirts Serena keeps popping around here in would look very nice   
on you."  
  
She laughed at him knowing exactly what she would look like in   
those things. "No thank you Love. I do believe that I out grew   
that taste in clothes about twenty years ago."  
  
He laughed at her and leaned forward to peck a kiss on her check.   
She elbowed him and he scampered off towards the door again.   
"Anyway, back to work for me. But, uh Romola, you may want to   
tell Serena what she can start her shopping spree looking for." He   
winked at her and left in a hurry.  
  
She watched him leave a bit confused. She looked over at the   
other for a moment before realization dawned in on her. She   
smiled brightly and put on a very mischievous air. "Well now, yes   
I do believe I know exactly what you can have your friends help   
you pick out."  
  
Serena looked at her curiously. "What?"  
  
She leaned back in her chair still smiling. "Well, technically this   
would be a decision that would be mostly left up to Darien but in   
this case, and since he's been working so hard, I think we should   
press the issue a little."  
  
"What decision? What are you plotting here?" she asked a little   
worriedly.  
  
She laughed and leaned forward to be closer to her. "There is a   
conference that is going to be held in the U.S. at the end of this   
month that we've been invited to. Do you remember the Global   
Space Advancement Center that asked us to look into those three   
weird stars that Darien was working on?"  
  
She nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I remember, he was really strung   
out on those things but he called it good and handed in whatever he   
had."  
  
"Right. Well, it seems that the Center thought he did more than   
just call it good. This conference pulls together all of the top   
research centers all over the world. We were invited last year but   
couldn't go. It was really a shock that they asked us again. But   
here's the thing; they have a special award set up for the biggest   
influence on the global research that we're doing. Guess who's   
taking it home this year?"  
  
Serena looked at her for a minute. "You don't mean…"  
  
She nodded gleefully. "Yes! Darien's work with those things put   
him in the running with the best scientific minds in the business.   
That, coupled with the other regular work he's done here, has put   
him in a lot of good favor with the Global Center's   
administration."  
  
Serena squealed happily. "That's totally cool! He'll flip when he   
hears… Wait a minute. Why haven't you told him yet?"  
  
She leaned back. "Because, I would very much like to see his face   
when his name gets listed off on that platform in Washington DC   
when we're in America for a perfectly innocent little social   
gathering with our fellow sky-charting coworkers."  
  
Serena's jaw dropped about two feet as she stared at her. "But-  
But. Oh he'll kill you! You know Darien; the spotlight really isn't   
his thing, especially if he's not expecting it. He'd die right there   
on the spot!" she stopped giggling to herself for a moment. "This   
could be fun! But you're going to have a hard enough time just   
getting him to go to the U.S."  
  
"Yes, we've thought of that too. Norman has mentioned the   
conference a few times to him and his response has been anything   
but encouraging."  
  
She looked at her now very curious. "So how do you plan to get   
him on the plane? Drag him kicking and screaming?"  
  
She smiled at the young blond. "No. We're going to use you."  
  
  
  
"OK, listen up troops. Mission objective: search every shopping   
center in downtown Tokyo for clothes and other bare necessities of   
life. We will utilize the following: public transit and walking for   
transportation; checks, cash, and credit will be used for methods of   
payment. We will commence operations immediately following   
these briefings. Our main objective is to buy as much stuff as will   
possibly fit in our closets for the least amount of money. Any   
questions men?"  
  
"Men?"  
  
"Figuratively speaking Ami," Serena commented. "Anything   
else?"  
  
"Yeah. You died and made you an army commando?"  
  
"Not funny Lita."  
  
"OK fine, can we go now?" Rei piped up behind her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, in a minute. I have some totally great news to tell   
you guys first." Serena chuckled at herself happily. "We're going   
to America!"  
  
The four other girls stopped to stare at her. "Really?" Mina asked   
slyly. "Who's the 'we'?"  
  
"Yeah, what gives? Who would be desperate enough to take you   
across half the world?" Rei snipped at her.  
  
"For your information," she crossed her arms in front of her chest   
and stared back at her raven-haired friend, "I'm going to an   
international conference for work."  
  
"Oooohhh, you mean with Darien, right?" Mina poked her in the   
ribs.  
  
"Well, yeah, I can't exactly go without him," she said not quite   
getting her friend's point.  
  
"Oh, I smell romance!" Lita stated folding her hands under her   
chin and leaning back on Ami's shoulder looking all heart-eyed.  
  
"Oh, no, guys come on, stop it. Our boss and his wife are coming   
with us too. Don't go all mushy on me here OK?" she pleaded   
with them seeing exactly where this was leading. "There's really   
nothing romantic about this. Especially with me and Darien! I   
mean come on!"  
  
The other four girls began to giggle at her pleas and instead of   
listening to her they began dragging her down the steps towards   
the bus stop. "Sure, Serena, whatever you say," Lita said   
completely unauthentically.  
  
"Yeah, we totally understand. It's just a business trip that you're   
excited about," Mina said still guiding her with a hand on her arm.  
  
"Right," Rei said walking in front of them. "And we understand   
that you really want a whole new wardrobe in order to dazzle   
him—uh—I mean those Americans."  
  
They giggled nonstop to the street corner. "Oh, I'm sorry I told   
you guys," she mumbled incoherently. They only laughed louder.  
  
"It's all right Serena. If you need something special we'll help you   
look today," Ami said always being the sensible one.  
  
"Yeah," Mina said, "what do you want to show off, your shoulders   
or your legs?"  
  
"MINA!"  
  
Lita paused next to the offending blond. "I think we should go   
with shoulders. She already wears those short skirts around him,"   
she offered thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, definitely. We've got to do something different with the   
meatballs too," Rei added.  
  
"You guys!" she whined. "All I need is one lousy formal for the   
dinner. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
All four of them looked at each other as their bus pulled up next to   
the curb. "Take us to the mall!" they cried in unison. Serena knew   
that this was going to be a very long day.  
  
  
"OK, OK, how about this one?" Mina asked the rest of the group   
as she held a dress up next to Serena. Three others still lay in her   
hands.  
  
"I don't know," Rei mused squinting at the dress. "I think we need   
a darker color."  
  
"I agree," Lita added, "I'll see if they have it in a blue or green or   
something." She ran off happily to ask a shop-clerk for help.  
  
"OK, so let's see. I still like this one." She held up her favorite   
and Serena choked.  
  
"Uh, Mina, yellow really isn't my color. Besides, I want   
something long."  
  
She pushed out her lips thinking for a minute. "All right fine."   
She tossed it carelessly into a pile of discarded clothing that they'd   
already decided against.  
  
It had gone the same way most of the day. Every store they   
entered was immediately ransacked as they looking for the perfect   
dress. Each of the girls would find one or two that they liked and   
then they would consult in committee to find the best ones of the   
lot. It would then be her job to try all of the remaining dresses on   
for group approval. The best one or two was placed on hold with   
the clerk and then they would take a quick survey of the place for   
regular clothes before heading on to the next stop.  
  
So far she had twelve dresses saved back in her name at places all   
over two mall and three dress shops. And her feet hurt. "Oh,   
Mina, I've got to sit down. This is even wearing me out."  
  
"All right, take five. I saw a discount rack when I came in. I'll   
check it out and be back in a flash." She tottled off as the group   
slip up.  
  
Serena leaned back on the bench that she'd claimed and sighed.   
This shopping pace was bad enough but the comments of love and   
marriage were driving her nuts. Not to mention that she hadn't   
found the dress she wanted. So sue her if she really did want to   
make an impression. And it wasn't just the convention   
administrators that she had in mind either. What was wrong with   
really wanting to go all out for once?  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Hum? Oh, sorry Ami, what's up?"  
  
"Well, you looked as though you were contemplating something   
for a minute," she said sitting down next to her. "Is something   
wrong?"  
  
"I guess this is just wearing on me. Hey, what's that?" she asked   
noticing the midnight blue cloth in her hands.  
  
"Well, I saw this dress and I thought maybe you'd like it." Ami   
stood up again and unfolded the dress to show her.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Rei cried coming up just at the right time. "I love   
it!"  
  
"Love what?" Lita asked walking up to the group. Mina's head   
could be seen popping up from the racks of clothes at the sound.  
  
Serena just sat and stared at it.  
  
When the group was assembled again they forced her into a   
dressing room with it and slammed the door on her protests. A few   
minutes later she emerged with the thick cloth on. It's blue was   
shot through with silver threading giving it a shimmer when she   
walked. Turning to the mirror she stared at herself and kept on   
staring.  
  
"I like it," Ami said.  
  
"I love it," chimed Rei.  
  
"We're definitely showing some shoulder," Mina giggled.  
  
"Yeah, but that's not all. Besides, it looks great!" Lita exclaimed.  
  
Serena turned back to the group, "OK, I'll buy it."  
  
  
"Morning Darien," she said as she hopped out of her apartment   
door.  
  
"What, you're actually ready on time?" he asked unbelieving.  
  
"Yes," she humphed back.  
  
"Ooooh!" he cried leaning against the hallway's wall clutching his   
chest and faking a heart attack. "Call an ambulance! I think I'm   
having severe chest pains!"  
  
"Oh please, like it's never happened before."  
  
"My vision is blurring out and I think my pulse just stopped."  
  
Serena stood with arms crossed looking a bit irritated with the   
tirade. "Well good. Serves you right for always being such a jerk   
to me. Just die in my hallway and see if I care!"  
  
He broke off laughing at her tantrum. "OK, OK. I'm sorry. I've   
been in a weird mood all weekend and I don't think it's stopped   
yet."  
  
"You're always in a weird mood. But anyway, since you're so   
shaken up I think I should drive!" She snagged his keys away   
from him and ran for the elevator.  
  
"I don't think so!" he yelled after her. The elevator didn't respond   
to her command to open and she stood waiting for it to reach her   
floor again. Darien walked slowly towards her and she gave him   
one of her sweetest looks, conveniently hiding his keys behind her   
back. He wasn't about to let that look disarm him this time. "All   
right you little key thief, hand them over."  
  
She smiled back at him playfully. "What keys?"  
  
She could be a good actress when she wanted to be. "The ones   
behind your back, Dearest." Of course so could he.  
  
"I don't have anything behind my back, Muffin."  
  
He smiled down at her and tilted her chin up with one hand.   
"Don't you?"  
  
She bit her lower lip innocently, "No."  
  
"Well, I could have just sworn that you did. Maybe I'm mistaken,   
Meatball Head."  
  
She nodded slightly. "I guess so."  
  
He paused thoughtfully. "Well, if you don't have my keys then   
what is behind your back?" He gently tilted her head up just a bit   
more to look at him. One more second…  
  
"I don't have anything at all."  
  
"Oh." Quickly he used the hand he had under her chin to dart   
behind her neck and pull her away from the closed elevator doors.   
With the other he grabbed her hands behind her and pulled his keys   
free.  
  
She gasped at the sudden move and tried to wiggle out of his reach   
to save the keys but found herself struggling against his arm that   
was wrapped around her back and up to the base of her neck. And   
he wasn't letting go.  
  
She looked up at him startled as she found herself out of options   
and out of bribery tactics. She smiled again. "You've got to teach   
me some of those moves."  
  
He laughed at her. "Sorry, I've been perfecting these for years.   
No novice trainees allowed."  
  
She giggled at him as the doors opened and a middle-aged woman   
got out giving the two an odd look as she headed down the hall.   
They looked at her and then at each other shrugging as to what the   
look was for. Even though both of them had a good idea. They   
disentangled and began their journey to work.  
  
Once on the road Serena turned to him looking a bit thoughtful.   
"Darien, Romola was telling me about this convention thingy in   
America before we left on Friday. Why didn't you tell me   
anything about it?"  
  
He looked at her surprised for a moment. "I don't know. I guess it   
just didn't really come up. It's just some organizational meeting   
for the different national parts. Kind of a 'get to know you' sort of   
thing I think. Basically I'm figuring it for an international sleep   
convention. Most of those things usually are."  
  
"Oh," she mumbled thoughtfully.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, Romola seems really siked for it. I think she wants to go   
and Dr. Benton said that he would like to be there this years since   
they didn't make it last year."  
  
"Yeah, he said something about it to me too. I guess he wants to   
make me into a public display at the thing. I told him I didn't want   
to go."  
  
She stared at him. "Oh come on Darien. It would be fun. I mean   
it's not like you'll ever have to see those people again. And so   
what if he wants to show off the most brilliant mind in the galaxy.   
Humor him will you?"  
  
He looked at her oddly out of the corner of his eye. "I figured   
you'd be the last person pushing for me to go."  
  
"Why should I be?" she asked innocently. "I mean how often do   
you get to go to America? Seriously I think it would be fun.   
You'd get to see a whole different country!"  
  
He laughed lightly, "I've been to America before. Remember, I   
went when I was thinking of going to school there."  
  
She shrugged at him. "That was New York this is Washing CD or   
something."  
  
He chuckled at her again, "Washington DC. It's the capital city."  
  
"See, it's a different place."  
  
"If you've seen one U.S. city you've seen them all."  
  
"Oh, come on Darien. That's not true and you know it. Besides,"   
she paused to cross her arms over her chest. He looked over at her   
questioningly. "If you go I get to go with you," she said quietly.  
  
He smiled to himself. "So that's why you're pushing for this trip."  
  
She pouted for a minute. "I can't help it if I'd like to see another   
country. Besides I don't know why in the world you wouldn't   
want to go. It's an adventure! Where's your sense of   
excitement?"  
  
"I traded it in for sensibility."  
  
"Darien!"  
  
He laughed, "OK, Meatball Head. I promise I won't object to the   
trip. But this is just for you all right?"  
  
She giggled at him. "Deal! Oh I can't wait." She leaned over and   
pecked a kiss on his check. "Thanks Muffin."  
  
  
"Good Morning!" Romola and Norman Benton jumped about two   
feet in the air on their way up the steps to their office. They turned   
around to look down at the new comers. Serena bounced up the   
steps to follow them enjoying their confused looks.  
  
"Yeah, I know, I about had a heart attack this morning when she   
was ready on time too," Darien mumbled to their baffled   
expressions.  
  
She turned around and gave him a sour look. "So, I'm actually on   
time for once and everyone becomes a comic."  
  
The older couple laughed at her. "You do have to admit it is   
unusual Serena," Dr. Benton said smiling at her.  
  
"OK fine. See if I'm ever on time again!" She continued up the   
steps mumbling to herself about the rude people that she had to   
work with. The rest of the group laughed behind her until she   
grabbed hold of Romola's arm and pulled her up the stairs with   
her. "Oh, but I've got to tell you about our shopping trip! It was   
so great. Twelve hours of pure credit card bliss!"  
  
The other woman laughed at her and allowed herself to be drug   
along, chattering all the way. They finally entered the other's   
office with the boys still way behind them and Serena turned on   
her. "Well Romola, I guess I'm going to get to use that formal I   
bought over the weekend after all."  
  
She stared at the girl for a moment with a mischievous sparkle in   
her eye. "You got him to say he'd go?"  
  
"Yep! I told you he wouldn't be able to refuse me," she giggled.  
  
The other laughed too rubbing her hands together. "Well then,   
operation 'award ceremony' is in place."  
  
Serena watched the door to make sure they wouldn't be overheard.   
"Yeah, but when he finds out what we did and decides to kill all of   
us off, I had no part in this. You're on your own!"  
  
Romola laughed evilly, "Just pack your bags and wait till we get   
there."  
  
She smiled excitedly. "U.S. here we come!"  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Choose thy friends like thy books, few but   
choice." -James Howell.  
  
  



	16. Chapter 15

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Dreams. Wonderful things aren't they. But, uh, how   
many of you talk in your sleep?  
  
You'll understand when you read it! He. He. ;-)  
  
  
Chapter 15  
*@}---*  
  
  
"'U.S. here we come.' Why didn't anyone tell me this flight was   
going to take forever." Serena grumbled to no one in particular but   
of course Darien got the pleasure of sitting next to her.  
  
"I told you it was going to be a long flight."  
  
She looked over at him bitterly, "A long flight is three hours, not   
eleven."  
  
He laughed at her as he continued with his book. "We're lucky we   
got a direct flight or else we'd be laid over in Paris somewhere."  
  
"At least we'd get to see France that way," she sniffed.  
  
"You can see it. Just look out the window. We're probably   
somewhere over Europe by now."  
  
"Oh, that makes me feel so much better."  
  
He smiled. "I figured it would."  
  
She sighed and leaned over on his shoulder wrapping her blanket   
around her again. "Aren't you even going to try to get some   
sleep?"  
  
"I don't sleep very well while I'm traveling. But you should try,   
after all we've got a fourteen hour time change to get use to once   
we get there."  
  
"Oh man, who decided to make this country so far away?" she   
mumbled snuggling herself onto his shoulder.  
  
He chuckled brushing her bangs away from her face. "Only you   
would think of blaming God for making the world too big."  
  
She giggled, "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should blame the   
manufacturer people for making airplanes so slow."  
  
"We're on a commercial jet, dear. You can't get on planes much   
faster without a military pass. Just relax and try to get some   
sleep."  
  
"Oh, I suppose. What are you reading anyway?" she asked   
looking over at his book.  
  
"It's a biography on Niels Bohr. He was the Danish physicist that   
founded the modern quantum theory of matter. He was one of the   
founders of the investigation into atomic structure and radiation.   
He even won a Nobel Prize for physics."  
  
She looked up at him unbelievingly. "You're sick you know that?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You work through those lousy physics things five days a week   
and then you go and use up your free time reading about some   
other miserable person that had no life outside of that stuff either!   
I think all of those atom things have rotted out part of your brain."  
  
He stared down at her for a moment wondering what he was   
suppose to say to something like that.  
  
She frowned at him and reached over to close his book. But he   
noted that she put his mark back in the right place. He watched her   
curiously as she took it out of his hands and placed it on the other   
side of her. "There, now you're going to try to get some sleep with   
me and no more physics for the entire rest of the week. Except of   
course for all those horrible little convention people. This is going   
to be a mini vacation and you're not spoiling it with work stuff."  
  
He felt like he was being griped out by a teacher for not doing his   
homework. Or maybe just being nagged on by an annoyed wife.   
Either way, he wasn't use to it and her tone didn't sit all that well   
with him. But he did have to admit she had a point. This was   
supposed to be a break for them and he was supposed to be   
enjoying this. So fine, he'd humor her.  
  
"All right, Meatball Head, I promise I'll avoid as many of the work   
related issues as possible."  
  
She smiled at him thankfully and put up the arm rests between   
them. "Good," she mumbled taking his arm and wrapping it   
around her as she snuggled closer. "I like you better when you're   
not concentrating on something else."  
  
He couldn't help but laugh at her. She was so cute when she was   
trying to be forward. He wrapped her up in his arms and tucked   
the little blanket the attendant had given her over one shoulder and   
laid his head on top of hers. She wrapped an arm around him as   
well scooting a little closer. "Good night, Muffin," she mumbled   
to him.  
  
He smiled at the nickname he had somehow gotten in the last   
couple of months. "Sweet dreams, Meatball Head."  
  
"You bet," she said obviously smiling. He wondered for a minute   
what was on her mind but decided it was probably best he didn't   
know.  
  
He laid there with her wrapped up in his arms thinking that there   
should be some way he could get some sleep. He really didn't fall   
asleep on planes very easily. But he usually had something to   
occupy his time. But now his reading material was lying on the   
other side of this little ball of blond hair. He smiled at the thought.   
'I like you better when you're not concentrating on something   
else.' Well then, for one whole week he'd concentrate on nothing   
else but her.  
  
Contemplating Serena. Somehow that sounded a lot easier than he   
figured it would be. The hardest physics problem known to man   
had to be easier than solving her. He quietly brushed back some of   
her bangs that where tickling his chin. She didn't move. Asleep   
already was she? Well, at least she was getting some rest. And   
she seemed to be comfortable enough.  
  
Of course he was quickly beginning to think that this was a very   
comfortable position. Maybe it was the length of the trip or maybe   
it was the fact that ninety percent of the cabin's occupants were   
also asleep but he could tell he was nodding off.  
  
Then again, it could just be her…  
  
The next thing he knew he was snapped back into the land of the   
living from a very nice dream about a hot-tub by the captain's   
voice waking the cabin in order to tell them that they had a half an   
hour left before their arrival. He raised a hand to rub some of the   
sleep out of his eyes but found that part of his dream was actually   
real.  
  
Serena still laid comfortably snuggled next to him. And obviously   
still asleep. He smiled down at her little hairballs that were lying   
on his shoulder. He gently pushed her bangs back behind her ear   
and brushed his hand over her check. "Serena."  
  
"Hum?" she mumbled probably still asleep.  
  
He chuckled at her and bumped her forehead gently with his chin   
to make her wake up. "Come on Sleeping Beauty. Time to wake   
up and meet your prince."  
  
She giggled at him still not moving. "I thought I already met you,"   
she muttered, slurring her words slightly.  
  
He stared at her for a minute trying to figure out if she was awake   
and just pulling his leg or not. "Serena?"  
  
"Hum?"  
  
All right, so maybe she was still asleep. He glanced around to see   
if anyone was noticing them before turning back to her with an evil   
little smile. "Serena, Darling, we're all most there."  
  
"All most where, Love?"  
  
Love?! He suppressed a laugh and continued, extremely enjoying   
this. "Don't you remember?"  
  
"No, you wouldn't tell me where you were taking me."  
  
"I didn't?" he asked wondering exactly where they were at in her   
dream world.  
  
She giggled lightly. "No. You were being mean and keeping our   
honeymoon a secret."  
  
"Honeymoon!" He didn't mean to say it but it just slipped out of   
his shocked mouth.  
  
She giggled again, "You're suppose to forget our anniversary, not   
that fact that we're married."  
  
He stared at her wondering what to do now. How could she even   
be dreaming about… Wait, what had he been dreaming about just   
now anyway? After all he should have been thinking that they   
were married to be dreaming about her in a bikini like—Anyway!   
"Uh, Serena."  
  
"Hum?"  
  
He was going to shake her in order to actually wake her up but he   
stopped looking down at her sleeping form next to him. What   
would he do if they were actually married? He leaned his head   
back on hers, for a moment contemplating something he never in   
his life thought he'd seriously think about. "Serena, would you   
marry me again if I asked you?"  
  
She sighed contentedly, "Of course I would Muffin. How could I   
ever say no to you?" she mumbled.  
  
"Very easily," he said quietly knowing that her dream was   
certainly not real.  
  
She laughed lightly. "Wasn't that the reason you waited so long to   
ask me? You really need to lighten up on yourself, Love."  
  
He stared down at her for a moment knowing that he really   
shouldn't listen to anything that she was saying but he couldn't   
help but wonder at her words. Was he too hard on himself in this   
department? If she were awake she probably would have agreed   
that he was, but… OK, time to wake her up and forget this whole   
little practical joke that just backfired on him.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
He paused not knowing whether or not to answer her but he let his   
curiosity get a hold of him. "What is it Meatball Head?"  
  
"What would I do without you?"  
  
He smiled knowing that this sounded much more like her. "You'd   
be just fine without me. You have a good head on your shoulders   
if you'll just use it."  
  
"Humph. Yeah, I don't use my head and you need a heart."  
  
He chuckled at her. "If I didn't have one then why did you marry   
me?" he asked teasing.  
  
She chuckled, "You took mine. So I had to marry you to get   
even."  
  
He couldn't help but laugh at her. "I knew there was a reason."  
  
"Yeah, I like verbal abuse I guess."  
  
"You are well skilled in it."  
  
"I just have to keep up with my love interest."  
  
He smiled into her hair thinking of how often he'd teased her when   
they'd first met just in order to see that cute little pout of hers. "I   
can't help it if I think you're cute when you're mad."  
  
"Hum, and I can't help it if I think you're cute when you think   
you're always right."  
  
So that was it. *Well my little bride, I'll have to remember that.*   
He leaned toward her ear and whispered, "I am always right."  
  
She giggled turning slightly in his embrace. "Stop," she mumbled   
still giggling lightly.  
  
"OK." He removed his arm that he had around her and lightly   
bumped her head off of his shoulder so that her sleeping form fell   
backwards onto her seat back successfully waking her with a start.  
  
"OH!" she squeaked as her eyes flew open. She righted herself   
back out again looking around trying to place where she was and   
finally finding Darien sitting there laughing at her. "What's so   
funny?" she snapped at him rubbing at her eyes.  
  
"Sorry. I couldn't figure out how else to wake you."  
  
She dropped her hand and stared at him. "So you threw me   
overboard?"  
  
"Overboard?"  
  
She looked around her again and sighed. "Never mind" she said   
rubbing her forehead. "These weird dreams are going to kill me   
yet."  
  
"You had a dream about me throwing you overboard on a ship?"   
he asked innocently.  
  
"Yeah, and we…" she stopped opening her eyes wider. She   
looked over at him quickly and laughed nervously. "Nothing. I   
guess it was pretty atypical. You were insulting me and then you   
threw me over the railing. It was actually a very pretty setting   
though," she said side stepping the point. "The Earth was out and   
everything."  
  
"The Earth?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She shook her head   
again and tried to work out a crink in her neck.  
  
"Try me," he said curiously.  
  
She looked at him as if trying to decide whether or not to say any   
more. Finally she shrugged and started in. "OK, so lately I've   
been having all kinds of weird dreams but their all set in the same   
place. The moon."  
  
He looked at her for a moment letting it sink in. "The moon? Let   
me guess, you're some fairy princess and your best friend is an elf   
right?"  
  
She looked at him sourly and sniffed. "No, actually Luna is my   
best friend," she lowered her voice for a minute, "and she talks."  
  
He continued staring at her. "Luna. Your cat. Talks."  
  
She nodded silently.  
  
"Have you been taking all of your pills?" he asked as seriously as   
he could.  
  
She growled at him and turned away folding the blanket that she'd   
been using. "I don't see why I tell you anything."  
  
He laughed at her knowing that she told him a lot more than she   
would have ever wanted to just now. "I'm sorry. So tell me about   
the moon. Any problems with the gravity?"  
  
She paused to glare at him. "No."  
  
"Oh, come on. I'm interested, really."  
  
She sighed. "All of my dreams revolve around this palace on the   
moon. Luna and Mina's cat Artemis are like my cat advisors or   
something. They talk, and Luna really sounds a lot like my   
mother. Although it's funny because Mom, Dad and Sammy are   
the only ones that don't seem to pop up in them."  
  
"Odd. But I do huh?" he asked amused.  
  
"Yeah," she giggled looking over at him. "You're just like you   
always are, except for the fact that you're the prince from Earth."  
  
He raised and eyebrow to stare at her. "A prince?"  
  
She continued to giggle. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm suppose to be   
some moon princess or something. Anyway, all of the girls are   
like a part of my court and princesses from their home planets."  
  
"I always knew you guys were from outer space."  
  
"Do you want to hear this or not?" she asked impatiently.  
  
"OK OK. Sorry."  
  
"So anyway, they're all there with me and you just kind of pop in   
and out usually…" she stopped thinking for a moment.  
  
"Usually?" he asked pressing the issue.  
  
"Well, usually. This was different," she muttered rubbing her eyes   
again.  
  
"How different?" he asked trying to sound just curious.  
  
She looked over at him shyly. "Very."  
  
He looked back at her purposefully letting her know that he   
expected more. Like a full review.  
  
She turned away sharply hiding a blush. "Doesn't matter anyway.   
We basically have the same relationship as we always do. We   
argue and you always seem to pop up at the worst times and   
everything. It's really kind of funny. Especially you in armor."  
  
"Armor?"  
  
She giggled, "Yeah, somewhere in my dreams it seems normal, but   
I really don't think it fits you all that well in real life."  
  
"Sounds uncomfortable."  
  
She laughed at the comment. "Anyway, we've like known each   
other forever too, just like here, and I'm always telling you about   
everything and you always turn it around and make it into some   
stupid joke, and you still end up helping me. Although even there   
I really hate that armor. You always feel so cold."  
  
He chuckled at the image. "Do you remember studying Sigmund   
Freud's theories on dream images in Psychology?"  
  
"Wasn't he the guy that was obsessed with sex?"  
  
"Basically."  
  
"No, I don't remember," she said pointedly.  
  
He laughed as their flight attendant walked to the front of the cabin   
and asked them to strap in for landing.  
  
"We're here already?" she asked surprised.  
  
"Why do you think I woke you up?" He chuckled, "I would have   
been more than happy to keep influencing your dream for as long   
as I could."  
  
She stared at him openly dropping the seat belt that she had just   
picked up. "You… what…?"  
  
He laughed at her innocently as he adjusted his own seat belt.   
"You talk in your sleep."  
  
"I… I-I do?"  
  
He chuckled at her, "Well, you did now. I think I started it when I   
told you to wake up. Something about Sleeping Beauty and   
meeting your prince."  
  
She recomposed herself and giggled, "I guess it fit in with my   
dream at the time. I mean we were…" She looked over at him   
nervously again. "Uh, how much did you—uh—you know…   
hear?"  
  
"Oh, I came in on the 'you didn't tell me where you were taking   
me for our honeymoon.'"  
  
"Oh," she sounded relieved, which was the not the emotion he   
figured she would be feeling.  
  
"Did I miss out on something better?" he asked staring at her.  
  
"No!" she squeaked.  
  
He tilted his head to the side waiting for her to explain herself.   
She laughed nervously and looked down blushing from ear to ear.   
He leaned over taking her chin in his hand and tilting her face up to   
look at him. "Don't worry about it. After all, if you told me about   
yours I'd have to tell you mine." Her eyes widened at the news.   
He smiled down at her mischievously, "And I'm not about to tell   
you mine."  
  
  
"Did anyone else find that to be an extremely long flight?"   
Romola asked as they stood in line for their baggage claim. The   
Bentons had been seated several rows back from them due to the   
odd ticket numbering.  
  
*Thank goodness they didn't hear that dream,* Serena thought   
glancing over at Darien again. *But I will figure out what his was   
about. The snake, he'll tell me whether he likes it or not!*  
  
"Tell me about it," Darien mumbled rubbing at his shoulder. "I   
think I was set on permanent press." Romola laughed at him and   
Serena rolled her eyes.  
  
"I was perfectly comfortably," she said.  
  
He stepped up next to her to sufficiently tower over her. "That's   
because of this very slight height difference."  
  
She laughed and punched him lightly in the stomach. "Gee, I   
never noticed you were taller than me," she mumbled acting   
completely blond.  
  
He rolled his eyes and shoved her towards the baggage station as a   
hint to keep moving.  
  
She looked around her for a first good look at American society   
and realized that she wasn't missing much. People scuttled by in   
all directions and none of them seemed the least bit interested in   
her. Nothing new there. She could make out the conversations of   
groups around her and realized that she could understand them   
well enough. It seemed a lot like a normal Japanese airport.   
Except that there seemed to be more diversity to the races of   
people wondering around. Every color, every nation, every creed   
seemed to be waltzing by.  
  
"Well, don't have to worry about fitting in," she mumbled to   
herself, the words dying in the noise of the crowd.  
  
The trip in from the Washington National airport to the city itself   
didn't take long. But she couldn't believe that the subways   
weren't full. Compared to the ones at home they were only half   
filled. She looked curiously at the advertisements on the walls   
trying to judge a fashion sense. But the more she tried the more   
she came to realize that American's had no fashion. Anything   
went.  
  
But now the lay out of the city was taking some adjusting to. Once   
the Metro subway dropped them off as close to their hotel as   
possible they began the journey to actually find the place.  
  
"All right, we're in the North West quadrant. So now we have to   
find twenty second street," Dr. Benton mumbled going over the   
map again.  
  
"We're on twenty second," Darien noted pointing to a traffic sign.  
  
He looked up at the sign and then back down at the map. "Oh."  
  
Romola frowned at the map from the side of her husband's   
shoulder. Darien looked around trying to get a feel for the city.   
Serena wrapped her arm inside of his and kept close in case she   
would get separated and lost. Not to mention that is was late in the   
day here and it was extremely cold.  
  
Snow covered the ground and there was a frigid January wind   
blowing from the north. She shivered slightly and snuggled a little   
closer to him as Dr. Benton signaled for a taxicab. Darien of   
course noticed and took his arm out of hers and wrapped it around   
her waist pulling her closer. She welcomed the warmth and the   
comfort.  
  
The cloudy gray skies didn't offer much in the way of sunshine but   
the sun tried to peek out every now and then just to let everyone   
know that it was still up there somewhere. She knew now exactly   
why she liked summer so much more.  
  
The Marriott hotel was a tall rock building with probably about   
twenty-five to thirty floors to it. And Serena had to admit that she   
was impressed by the surroundings. She had envisioned this   
convention thing using the cheapest place they could find to house   
their members. But it seemed like someone was forking over some   
yens for this place. And she didn't mind one tiny bit.  
  
"You know, I think I could get use to this," she commented as the   
Bentons saw to their checking in.  
  
He chuckled at her. "Only you would get all excited about the   
hotel you were staying in."  
  
She gave him a sour look and began inspecting the lobby around   
her. People roamed around the place some working there and   
others seemed to be doing the same thing she was. She heard   
Darien laugh from behind her and turned to find him and Romola   
looking at something on the counter. She hopped over to peek   
around him to see what was so funny.  
  
"Say Serena, you wouldn't happen to have an old ID with you   
would you?" he asked amusedly.  
  
She gave him a queer look and shook her head.  
  
"Rats," he mumbled to Romola who tried to hide her laughter.  
  
"What's so funny?" she asked slightly irritated with the both of   
them.  
  
He pointed to the paper that they'd been reading and looked at her   
perfectly serious. "One of their benefits is that children eighteen   
and under stay free. We were going to try to see if we could pass   
you off as still being eighteen."  
  
She growled very low in the back of her throat but then   
recomposed herself and turned back to him. "Well it is a shame   
I've already had my birthday. But why don't we try it with you?   
After all, you have the personality of a six year old." She crossed   
her arms over her chest and smiled with self-gratification.  
  
He looked at her only a second to see if she was serious or not.   
Poor Romola must have thought that she was because she had lost   
some of her coloring and her eyes were the size of quarters. But   
Darien was never without a comeback. "Funny. I could swear that   
your sense of humor hasn't matured since junior high."  
  
"At least I have a sense of humor. Of course, yours probably just   
hasn't come in yet."  
  
"Yes, it must be kind of like your brain cells. They don't start   
forming until they're needed for actual use."  
  
*Ouch. That wasn't a fair shot!* But then she noticed the look he   
gave her. The small flick of his eyes back in Romola's direction.   
The poor woman was standing there looking completely lost. She   
still assumed that they were being serious! She smiled instead and   
turned back to him. "I guess that makes them sort of like your   
romantic side. If it never sees the light of day then why bother to   
form."  
  
He smiled evilly at her. "You've never seen my romantic side."  
  
"You have one? Oh gee, I'm sorry, but I think I'll pass on being a   
test subject for it." She rolled her eyes and turned away slightly.  
  
"Serena, Darien, stop this," the older woman interjected. She had   
obviously come to the end of her rope.  
  
They both looked at her keeping straight faces. That was until   
Darien turned back to her and grabbed her elbow. Serena found   
herself wrapped up in his arms before she even knew what   
happened to her. She looked up to see the mischief in his eyes and   
he smiled down at her. "Yeah, stop being so mean," he mumbled,   
cuddling her tightly.  
  
She couldn't help but laugh at the little pout he wore. "You started   
it," she said pouting herself.  
  
They laughed at each other and then turned back to Romola who   
looked as though she could have fainted dead away right there and   
then. "Sorry, Romola. Our arguments take a little adjusting to,"   
he commented to her.  
  
She giggled lightly, "Yeah, and the adjustment is to just never take   
us seriously."  
  
Romola opened her mouth to say something then closed it again   
looking back and forth between the two, still noting the embrace   
that he held her in. She nodded silently and stiffly walked back to   
where her husband was still talking with the hotel manager.  
  
They continued to laugh at her expense not really paying attention   
to the looks they were getting from other people and couples in the   
lobby. Neither one noticed, and neither one cared.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Half our life is spent trying to find something to   
do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save" -Will   
Rogers.  
  
  
  



	17. Chapter 16

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Evil laughter. ;-P  
  
  
Chapter 16  
*@}---*  
  
  
Once everyone signed in they managed to drag all of their luggage,   
most of which was Serena's, up to their rooms. There they said   
their goodnights so that the group could get some rest before the   
first welcome session scheduled for the next day. Of course   
Darien had already started his count down. "I'll give her two more   
minutes to finish her room's inspection and come over to check out   
mine," he mumbled to himself looking at his watch.  
  
He was wrong. He hadn't even gotten his tux hung up in the closet   
before there was a knock on the door. He opened it and let her in   
smiling. "You're early."  
  
"Early for what?" she asked looking around the room.  
  
He laughed, "Nothing."  
  
"Hey, I have a picture just like that in my room," she remarked   
looking at the framed print over his bed. "Only mine has little   
butterflies on it. And it's daisies in stead of lilies. Oh, and the   
background is blue in stead of that pinky-mauve color."  
  
"But it's just like that right?" he asked removing the tuxedo from   
the hanger bag and running a hand over it.  
  
"Yeah," she caught the context of his words and threw a look at   
him. He didn't catch it as he laughed at her and hung the clothing   
up. "Anyway," she said flopping down on his bed, "do you thing   
we gave Romola any permanent heart problems?"  
  
He walked over and sat down next to her. "Well, if she falls over   
with a heart attack during this thing I think we'll have to send her   
family a lot of sympathy cards."  
  
She giggled at him and flipped over to look out the window on the   
other side of his bed. "You know, this place seems smaller than   
Tokyo but it really is pretty." She laid out on his bed propping   
herself up on her elbows to stare out at the city. "How far away   
from the capital thing do you think we are?"  
  
He laid out on his side and looked out with her. "I don't know. In   
all truth I don't think the city is all that big so we're probably not   
that far from it."  
  
"What's the deal with all the numbers and letters and quadrant   
thingies? I mean how in the world does anyone find their way   
around this place? Everything's in circles and squares and   
octagons!"  
  
He chuckled looking from the window to her. "The city was   
designed around one main point. The hill that the capital sits on is   
the center of the city. Everything else stretches out from it in   
diagonal lines. Downtown streets are laid out in a grid. Little   
parks or circles mark intersections in those avenues. The main   
streets and the Mall, or like the main little government building   
things, divide the city into four quadrants. That's how you know   
where you are. If you're in the right part of the city you can find   
your way around. North-south streets are the ones with the   
numbers, and east-west streets have letter names. So every address   
has initials that follow it, because NW, SW, NE, and SE tell you   
which quadrant it's in."  
  
She stared over at him with an overwhelmed expression. "How do   
you know all of this stuff?"  
  
He chuckled at her. "I read."  
  
She rolled over on her back with a groan. "That's it! I am never   
asking you a question again for as long as I live."  
  
"I can't help it if you ask me dumb questions."  
  
She popped back up to lie on her side facing him. "That was not a   
dumb question. Besides, for all I know you just make up all of   
these things."  
  
"Well, you are extremely gullible."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Am—Oh shut up!"  
  
He laughed and she reached over and smacked him in the shoulder.   
Just for that he reached back and grabbed her elbow and pulled her   
over to him wrapped his other arm around her and flopping over on   
his back so that she lie beside him. "Besides," he mumbled evilly,   
"I thought you said I was cute when I thought I was always right."  
  
Sufficiently tangled that way she stopped struggling and laid her   
head on his chest. "Of course you had to hear that part," she   
muttered.  
  
He smiled and lightened his hold on her so that she could place her   
arms around him too. "I did, but I also confessed something to   
you."  
  
She looked up him uncertainly and then a light dawned in her eyes.   
"You actually did say that you thought I was cute when I argue   
with you. Didn't you?"  
  
He nodded still smiling at her. She looked down again thinking for   
a minute. "You just kind of popped into my dream and led me   
along didn't you?"  
  
"I guess I did. But I didn't expect to find out that you were   
dreaming about our wedding."  
  
"Humph! I told you I don't know where these things come from.   
They just started and won't go away." She didn't look at him but   
he could tell that she was sorry he found out about it.  
  
"I'm sorry Serena," he mumbled still quite amused with the   
situation. He ran a hand through her hair and she seemed to relax a   
little more.  
  
"Not your fault I talk to people when I'm asleep." He quietly   
agreed. "But, I want to know what dream you had that I missed   
out on."  
  
He laughed at her and shook his head. "No way you're getting   
anything out of me on that one."  
  
She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him evilly.   
"You will tell me," she said deadly serious.  
  
He looked back at her just as determined. "No I won't."  
  
Seeing that her bluff wasn't working she resorted to whining. "I   
told you mine and its not fair Darien! You have to tell me!"  
  
"Do you want some cheese with that whine?"  
  
"No but I certainly get all of the ham I want around you."  
  
He laughed at her indignant air. "Just trying to keep your life   
interesting."  
  
"I'm a schizophrenic. My life is always interesting."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot. Although how I could forget something like   
that I don't know." She sniffed and tried to pull out of his grasp.   
But he wasn't about to let her go. Instead he flipped her over so   
that they had switched positions. She was now lying under him   
and he lay on his side next to her. Propping his head up with his   
elbow he kept one arm around her to make sure she wasn't going   
anywhere.  
  
Serena for her part let out a very startled sound and stared up at   
him. Once she found herself safe and sound but still next to him   
she flashed him an angry look. "I really hate when you do things   
like that."  
  
He smiled his most charming smile at her. "I know."  
  
Her expression softened somewhat, "And I really hate it when you   
look at me like that."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like you have to be the cutest man on the face of the planet and   
you know it. Therefore nothing you do could be wrong."  
  
"I do that?" he asked genuinely confused.  
  
She giggled at him. "Yes."  
  
"Note to self: stop doing that."  
  
She batted her eyelashes at him pretending not to hear the   
comment. She slipped one arm inside of the elbow he was   
supporting himself with and placed it on his back. The other hand   
was placed over the arm he had around her to keep him there. And   
he knew he was in trouble.  
  
"Please Darien, tell what you dreamed about." That same look that   
always got to him, not to mention that with her all snuggled next to   
him he was rather enjoying this moment. But the little image of   
that bikini brought him back to his senses. Or maybe away from   
his senses.  
  
"I'd really love to tell you about it, but, uh, I forgot already. You   
know how dreams are, one minute you remember them and the   
next you don't." He felt her nails dig into his back and he   
squirmed away only to find himself closer and eye to eye with her.  
  
"Care to rephrase?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and evil   
intent written all over her face.  
  
He laughed nervously at her and began to wonder if he could   
adjust the heating down a bit. "Really Meatball Head, I don't   
remember much. Besides, yours had to be so much more—Ow."  
  
"Ow?" she asked digging a little farther.  
  
He nodded. "Ow."  
  
She looked at him with mock concern. "Oh, am I hurting you   
Dearest?"  
  
He smirked at her, "Not at all…Love," but she was going to start   
drawing blood soon.  
  
She smiled bewitchingly at him as he kept getting closer trying to   
get away from those killer claws. "Oh, what's a few stitches   
between friends?"  
  
"Stitches. Funny." She wasn't letting go. Finally deciding that   
he'd had enough of her torture he started to move back and away   
from her. Big mistake.  
  
Her nails raked down his back at the move and he yelped despite   
himself. "Ow! Ow! I give!" She finally let him go and he   
hopped up to a sitting position. "What are you trying to do kill   
me?!"  
  
She laughed at him and sat up beside him. "Oh, you poor little   
defenseless creature. Let Aunty Serena see if you're hurt." She   
pulled up on his shirt and he turned around intent on saying   
something but she beat him to it. "And no stupid comments on me   
thinking of trying something just because you happen to have a   
nice tight end."  
  
He just gave her a withering stare and turned back around. She   
laughed to herself and lifted up his sweatshirt. "Oh, well, what a   
lovely set of matching red marks," she mumbled.  
  
"Scarred for life because some psycho needed to try out her new   
manicure on me the hard way," he grumbled.  
  
"Oh, you'll be just fine." She ran a hand over his back and he had   
to admit that hurt was not what he was feeling. She reached up   
with the other hand and pulled him closer to her to peck a kiss on   
his check. "Now I didn't hurt you did I?" she asked much more   
gently.  
  
He looked into her eyes and confessed to himself that she really   
hadn't, but he wasn't done with his ploy yet. "Yes," he mumbled   
trying his best at one of her pouts.  
  
It failed but she laughed wickedly anyway. "Serves you right for   
holding out on me. Now give." She slid back and laid down on   
his bed again.  
  
He assumed the same position he had before but this time he didn't   
let her get her hand on his back. "You know, I still don't think that   
jarred my memory back into shape."  
  
She looked at him very measuringly for a moment. "Didn't it?"   
she asked with venom dripping off each word.  
  
He laughed at her and finally decided that he could tell her part of   
it. "Fine, then this is for your crummy 'tight end' jokes."  
  
She looked at him very curiously and he sighed. "Let's just say it   
was one of those dreams that you're sorry you have to wake up   
from, but once you're awake you really wished you'd never had   
it."  
  
She giggled at him and he was beginning to wonder if he could lie   
and say it was something perfectly innocent. But somehow, that   
didn't seem like much of an option, she'd know if he lied to her.   
But maybe… "And if I tell you this you have to tell me the rest of   
yours."  
  
"No!"  
  
It was an automatic response and he kind of liked that slight   
embarrassment in her voice. "That's the deal."  
  
She looked at him carefully for a minute. "But I've already told   
you mine."  
  
"Liar," he said flatly.  
  
She looked away from him dejectedly. "I don't want to tell you   
the rest of it," she pouted.  
  
He smiled. "You don't have to."  
  
She looked back sourly. "I suppose that means that you don't have   
to either."  
  
He shrugged innocently. "It's only fair."  
  
"No it's not!"  
  
He laughed at her. "Poor little Meatball Head. You really don't   
want know what I was dreaming about anyway."  
  
"Yes I do!" she nodded enthusiastically.  
  
He sighed again looking down at her. Oh, well, let's see if he can   
get a nice scarlet color out of her. "All right, fine. But you're not   
going to like this," he warned. She only smiled at him and waited.   
He rolled his eyes. "The basic point was the two of us in a hot   
tub."  
  
She waited for him to continue and he didn't. "So. What   
happened?"  
  
He pushed out his lips thoughtfully. "That was about it."  
  
She stared at him incredulously. "That was what you didn't want   
to tell me? Some dream about a hot tub! What it the world is   
wrong with…" she stopped staring at him. "Wait a minute."  
  
He licked his lips acting a bit nervous. "I didn't say what you were   
wearing."  
  
Three… two… one…  
  
"Darien Chiba!!" She sat up despite the arm that he had around   
her waist and pushed him down to the bed covers without any   
trouble. "I don't believe you! What in the world were you   
thinking!" She jumped from the bed and went on raving about the   
horrible nature of his intent, or something. He simply laid there   
staring up at the ceiling while she blew herself out. She finally   
smacked his knee and he jumped up to a sitting position. "And   
why don't you enlighten me as to what your sick little perverted   
mind thought up for my wardrobe anyway."  
  
"Perverted?"  
  
"Yes! Perverted. Sick. Warped. Depraved."  
  
"Depraved?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. Good humor   
was one thing. Their normal arguments were something else too.   
But he did not enjoy being called a pervert. "For your information   
I am not a pervert and if I were your normal clothing style would   
be more than sufficient to supply my 'depraved' imagination. And   
might I add that if I were that type of person this would not be any   
rare instance. Not to mention that after five years you'd know   
exactly what type of pervert I was if I had any evil intentions in   
me."  
  
She looked at him a bit startled by the tone of his voice. In all   
truth he wasn't exactly being fair to her. She probably hadn't   
meant that anyway, but he had an image to maintain.  
  
She recovered and crossed her arms over her chest staying well out   
of reach next to his bedside table. "It's just the principle."  
  
He smiled uncrossing his arms to lean back on them. "I didn't   
want that dream any more than you wanted yours. So stop acting   
all high and noble and tell me that you're not actually mad at me."  
  
She turned back to him to regard him quietly before walking back   
and sitting down next to him. "No, I'm not. I can't blame you for   
a dream." She paused before looking back at him with the same   
indignant air. "But what was I wearing?"  
  
He smiled lying back down again. "Do you remember that little   
tropical flowered bikini you had?"  
  
She nodded thoughtfully. "I still have it. Why?"  
  
He chuckled, "Take the ruffles off and you pretty much have it."  
  
She thought about it for a minute and looked down at him   
confused. "So what's wrong with that?"  
  
He just looked at her surprised that she was serious. She blinked   
back and he just started laughing. "What?" she asked hopelessly.  
  
"I don't even need to be a pervert around you."  
  
"Darien!"  
  
He kept laughing and then reached up a hand to gently pull her   
back down to him. She grudgingly lowered herself with him and   
stayed quiet until he finished his laughing fit. "I still don't get   
it,"   
she mumbled. "What was the point of the dream?"  
  
"There was no point to it. Is there ever a point to stuff like that?"  
  
"So fine, you had a dream about me in some skimpy little thing.   
That's still better than plotting our honeymoon."  
  
He chuckled. "Oh, I don't know. That dream could make for a   
nice honeymoon."  
  
She leaned up on one elbow to regard him. "There's something   
you're still not telling me isn't there?"  
  
He paused looking at her. "Yes."  
  
She tapped her nails against his chest absently. "So are you going   
to tell me or not?"  
  
"…Not."  
  
Her look was actually becoming painful. After all if someone   
could kill you with a look it would be Serena. "I really hate you."  
  
He smiled evilly at her and pulled her back down. "That's a   
horrible thing to say to your husband."  
  
"Yeah, you wish."  
  
"Yeah, in my dreams right?" he chuckled. She smacked him in the   
ribs. "So come on. Yours was a whole lot more interesting than   
mine. Tell me the rest of it."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
He smiled into her hair. "Because you're dying to tell me   
anyway."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you tell me everything. Now come on. I got in on the   
surprise honeymoon, which actually does sound like something I'd   
try. Did you get the whole wedding ceremony too?" He picked   
out a lock of her hair and started playing idly with it.  
  
She paused for a moment. "Do you enjoy playing with my hair?"  
  
"Yes. You know I love it so stop stalling and tell me."  
  
"I didn't know you actually liked my hair. I thought you just   
found it nice to torment me about." She popped her head up so   
that she could look at him.  
  
He chuckled and watched her amusedly. "Yes, I like your hair and   
I do not torment you."  
  
"Says you." She laid her head back on him again.  
  
"Will you just tell me the stupid dream!"  
  
"All right fine! Humph! No, for your information, I did not get in   
on the wedding. All I got was the trip from the reception ball thing   
to the boat that you were taking me on. It was really pretty too. It   
wasn't a normal boat or anything. It was kind of one of those   
ancient house boat thingies. You know that ones that look like   
they have a little house in the middle of a regular fishing boat.   
Only this was bigger so there was like two different levels to the   
building thing. But it was so romantic! I guess I really shouldn't   
have thought it was real."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
She giggled, "Sorry. Anyway, that was the boat that you threw me   
off of when I woke up."  
  
"Well that's one way to throw away the bride," he chuckled.  
  
"The expression is to give away the bride," she chided.  
  
"Whatever. So there wasn't really all that much to it besides what   
I already came in on?"  
  
"Uh, no."  
  
He looked down at the top of her head and she slightly shrunk   
away from him. "Why is that so unconvincing?"  
  
"Why can I never lie to you?" she said angry with herself.  
  
He laughed, cuddling her closer to him. "Please don't try to learn   
too hard," he whispered in her hair.  
  
"OK," she said snuggling into him.  
  
"Now what did I miss."  
  
"I'm not telling you."  
  
He stopped, "What?"  
  
"I am not telling you the rest of it. So you'll just have to suffer."  
  
He quietly regarded her thinking of how best to get it out of her.   
"Oh, I think suffer is the right word all right." He used both of the   
hands he had around her to start in on the one form of torture that   
he knew would work. He tickled her.  
  
"No!" She jumped as he started in and she tried vainly to slip   
away from him. It didn't work and she found herself on her back   
giggling like the engaged at a bachelorett party. "Darien!" giggles,   
"Stop! Please," laugh, laugh, "Stop!" She curled herself into a   
ball under him trying to get away from him. He didn't let up and   
she just kept yelling at him incoherently around her forced   
laughter.  
  
"Now are you going to tell me or not?" he asked very rationally,   
momentarily letting up.  
  
"NO!"  
  
That was the wrong answer and he started in again. "No, no, NO!   
Darien!" she whimpered trying desperately to make him stop. He   
heard the little pained note in her voice and continued a second   
longer and then stopped wrapping her up in a hug and pulling her   
to him. She still giggled with the aftereffects and she clutched a   
hand onto his shirt.  
  
"If you don't stop screaming you're going to wake up everyone   
else in this hotel."  
  
"Good!" she said forcefully. "Maybe they'll think you're attacking   
me and come and arrest you!" He chuckled at her and finally   
noticed then that she was trembling slightly. Concern washed over   
him as he wondered if he'd somehow hurt her in the processes.  
  
"Serena? Are you all right? I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked   
picking up her face so that he could see her. She had tears in her   
eyes and he stopped afraid that he had. It wasn't until she punched   
him that he came back to Earth. And rather painfully too. He   
wasn't expecting the blow and she had some force behind it.  
  
She took the opportunity to slide away from him. "No, but you're   
going to be hurt if you every try that again!"  
  
He clutched at his stomach and rolled away from her groaning in   
faked pain. "What do you mean 'going to'? This is me in pain!"  
  
"Good. I hope you die of internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen!"  
  
"You don't even know what a spleen is."  
  
"I don't care," she turned on him. "I watch enough blood and guts   
movies to know that it's suppose to hurt and that's all I care   
about!"  
  
He sat there and laughed at her as she dried her eyes and   
recomposed herself. "So will you tell me what you're holding out   
on me?"  
  
"No." She eyed him warily in case he was going to try that again.   
But he figured he'd best give up on it for one night.  
  
"Fine. I'll just let my little imagination play with the image of us   
married and on a boat."  
  
"Don't even go there," she warned.  
  
He laughed again and looked over at her. "Don't worry, I thing the   
picture of us married is too much for my humble imaginings   
anyway."  
  
"There's nothing humble about you," she snipped and after a   
moment willingly stretched out to lie beside him. He uncurled an   
arm so that she could lay her head on his chest again before   
enfolding her with it. She laid there for a moment thinking but he   
couldn't be sure of what so he remained quiet. "Is it really so hard   
to imagine us together?" she asked very quietly.  
  
He was a bit confused with the question and he really didn't know   
how to answer her. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Honestly Darien, have you ever thought about…" she stopped   
unsure of herself. "Never mind," she mumbled instead.  
  
"No, tell me. Thought about what?"  
  
She sighed, "I don't know. Have you ever wondered what it would   
be like if we were together? I mean like dating or something."  
  
"Seriously? Uh, no."  
  
"Never?"  
  
He paused, "Well, maybe. But most of my thoughts fall back to   
the fact that I couldn't put you through that."  
  
"You're too hard on yourself." She giggled and seemed very   
amused by the conversation. "But, I have a question."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"Marry me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm serious Darien. I mean let's face it, neither one of us has any   
good experience at the relationship thing. Not to mention that we   
know each other better than anyone else knows us. We get   
along… well, we might have to work on that." He chuckled.   
"Everyone we know already thinks that there's something going on   
between us anyway. Why not?"  
  
"Why not?" he asked very skeptically.  
  
"Yes, why not? We work together and in a place where mostly   
everyone else is married to their partners anyway. We're together   
half of our lives anymore. We have just enough in common to   
build on. You're always telling me that I need someone that   
actually uses his head, which I'll have to grudgingly admit that you   
do. And you definitely need a woman that will get you out of the   
house and make sure that you don't work yourself into a Noble   
Peace Prize and an early grave. I think we could compliment each   
other very well."  
  
He rubbed his chin in her hair and smiled at the thought. "Yes, I   
guess I can say that we compliment each other. But working with   
each other is very different from living together."  
  
"I know. But we can work that out. It would be so much easier   
than both of us trying to find someone else that fits into our lives   
the same way. Besides, what if there isn't anyone else out there   
for us?"  
  
"That's a really lousy reason for marrying someone."  
  
"Granted. But I know you'd stay with me. I know you'd care   
about me."  
  
He silently agreed with her. He always would. "But we are   
missing one thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Love."  
  
She chuckled lightly, "No relationship's perfect."  
  
"Serena!"  
  
She laughed at him. "I know, I know. But who's to say that we   
won't fall in love after we're married."  
  
"Great. This might as well be an arranged marriage." She shook   
her head slightly against him. "No. At least we know that we care   
about each other."  
  
He played with her hair again. "But concern probably isn't enough   
to get you through a marriage to a man that you don't love."  
  
She laughed slightly. "With as long as a normal marriage lasts   
anymore, I don't think love has a thing to do with any of them."  
  
"True," he conceded. "OK, so we have everything but love. I   
guess that's not bad. But how long do you think that would last?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Serena, I care about you. And I know you. And everything else,   
but how long until one of us really starts to regret this little deal?"  
  
She was silent for a while and he began to wonder how they got   
into a halfway serious debate about this. "Somehow I think you'll   
regret having me around before I resent you for anything."  
  
He chuckled, "What could I resent about you?"  
  
"The fact that I'm always such a pain. Or that I whine constantly.   
Or that I klutz out at every opportunity. The fact that I'm always   
surrounded in a mess when you're a neat freak… What else can I   
come up with?"  
  
He smiled at her. "None of that matters to me. You know that.   
But what happens when I'm always so quiet with you? When I   
bottle up like I always do and won't let you in. What happens   
when you get sick of me being so unemotional to you?"  
  
"When have you ever been unemotional to me?" she asked   
perfectly serious. "I know that you try to close up sometimes but   
you end up letting me help when you're ready. I'll be the first to   
admit that you don't talk nearly enough, but if you need me you   
know that you can come to me. Besides, there's nothing   
unemotional about you when I need you."  
  
He paused very thoughtful for a moment. "All right, you talked   
me into it. When do we set the date?"  
  
She giggled, "Somehow I have a hard time believing that I've   
convinced you. You always have to be so rational."  
  
"Maybe, but in this case, I don't mind not being rational. After all,   
I think I'm getting the better end of the deal here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
He smiled, "Because I get you and you only get me."  
  
She propped herself up to look at him. "What do you mean only?   
I think I'll have more than my hands full with you!" He laughed at   
her and she laughed back. "So, what about April? Isn't that a   
good month to get married in? I always thought it would be pretty.   
All the flowers are coming out and everything."  
  
"April sounds nice. But that only gives us three months to put   
everything together."  
  
"Oh yeah, that's right." She laid back down to get comfortable.   
"Well, maybe we should shoot for fall then."  
  
"Or we could say April next year."  
  
"Hum. Fifteen months. I don't think I could handle waiting that   
long."  
  
He laughed, "It's not like we should be in a hurry or anything."  
  
"Well, that's true. OK, next April then. Can we still have a big   
wedding?"  
  
He stroked a hand over her hair. "Just inviting your family and   
friends will make it a big wedding. Besides, I don't exactly have a   
large list of my own remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Well, we can work through the guests later."  
  
He laughed at her serious tone of voice. "Deal."  
  
"But now we should probably be concerned with getting you   
enough best men to compliment my list of bride's maids."  
  
He groaned and shook his head back and forth. "Does that mean   
that we're going to have a big house in the suburbs with a picket   
fence too?"  
  
"No, an apartment is fine with me. After all we have too perfectly   
good ones between us. Although we're going to have to do some   
serious furniture moving."  
  
"Actually, no, our apartments probably won't work," he said   
thoughtfully.  
  
"Why not?" she propped herself up to look at him.  
  
"Because there're both one bedroom places. To which I have to   
ask exactly how married we're going to be." He looked at her for   
an answer and she stared back before she finally laid back down   
looking a little numb.  
  
"Maybe this won't work."  
  
"I suppose not," he said laughing at her. "Love is meant to be the   
biggest part of a marriage. You need everything else too but you   
need love to see you through when they fail."  
  
"And you ask why I come to you with my relationship problems."  
  
"Can I add that in all truth I don't know what I'm talking about, it   
just sounds good?"  
  
"I don't believe that for a minute."  
  
He chuckled, "OK, so I learn by observation."  
  
"Yeah. Observed love. …Why do I feel like that's all the closer   
I'm going to get?" Her voice quieted and she was serious.  
  
Darien couldn't understand the change in emotions. "What do you   
mean?" She laid there quiet for a while making no indication that   
she'd heard him. Finally she moved slightly in his arms and he   
brushed her hair back wondering if she would tell him.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"Hum?"  
  
"Do you ever wonder if there really is someone out there for you?"  
  
Somehow he didn't figure that this question was exactly pointed at   
him. "Yes Serena, I wonder sometimes."  
  
"Do you ever feel that maybe you've missed them? Or that…   
there really isn't anyone there for you after all?"  
  
"I've thought of that. Perhaps I've thought of it more than some   
have." She tightened her hold on him and remained quiet for a   
time.  
  
"I've begun to wonder myself," she said quietly.  
  
He nestled his check against her hair and kept it there. "Why   
would you believe for a moment that you won't find someone   
Serena?"  
  
"Love seems so… so hard to me. I mean I want to fall for   
someone yet, I'm afraid to. Do you know what I mean? If you fall   
in love with someone you live in fear that the other won't return it.   
Or what if it's the other way around? What do you do then? It   
gets messed up so easily and you never know what to do when it   
goes haywire."  
  
Darien listened to her talk wondering what could bring this on.   
What could he say to her to help her believe in love? Especially   
when he had such a hard time believing in it himself. "Serena.   
Love has to be given and received freely or else it's not love. I   
know that it seems hard, but when you find the right man you'll   
see that it is easier to fall for him than you thought."  
  
She pondered his words for a minute before responding. "I hope   
you're right. I mean all my life I've waited for someone to sweep   
my off my feet and love me forever. But in real life it doesn't   
work that way does it? What if I… fall in love with someone that   
doesn't love me back? That can't love me? What then?"  
  
He sighed silently praying that that would never happen to her.   
"Serena, don't set yourself up for the fall here. You're beginning   
to sound like me," he admonished gently. "Look at the man that   
you think you're falling for very carefully before you make your   
decision. Watch how he treats you and how he treats everyone   
else because sooner or later he's going to do the same things to   
you. Really know him, and I mean know him a long time, before   
you let yourself talk you into anything rash. And if you know him   
and you truly do love him, then I don't see how he could not love   
you back."  
  
"There are a lot of players out there."  
  
"I know," he said quietly. "That's why you keep yourself at a   
point where if he pushes you, or if he leaves, you won't be crushed   
by it. If you don't give in to him then someone like that won't stay   
around. That may hurt but it's a lot easier than losing yourself to   
him and being lost forever." He brushed a hand through her hair   
again. "You've always been a good judge of character, your   
friends will agree with me on that and listen to them too. Real   
friends won't let you get into something that will hurt you. But   
listen to your heart. I know it too well to believe that it'll lead you   
astray."  
  
She giggled lightly at him. "Thank you. I'm sure I'm just   
worrying over nothing. It just gets lonely sometimes."  
  
"I know." He looked down at her, "Did that help?"  
  
She nodded against him. "Yeah. I have my whole life to find Mr.   
Perfect why rush into something that more than likely won't be   
love anyway. Besides, why not have some fun while he's not here   
yet?"  
  
He chuckled, "Not exactly the elegant phrasing I was hoping for,   
but as long as it helped somehow I won't complain."  
  
She sighed, curling up next him tightly. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome Meatball Head."  
  
She giggled and then propped herself back up to look at him.   
"Marry me anyway Darien. I mean, what would I do with my little   
knight in shining armor without you to walk me through it? Fall in   
love with me and marry me and I'll be all set."  
  
He laughed lightly at the image and reached up to brush her check.   
"You'll do just fine in figuring out your emotions without my help.   
And you'll find someone a lot better than me to marry you."  
  
"How?" She looked at him carefully. "How could there be   
anyone that knows me better than you? I don't mean that I'm all   
that serious about this, but… you need some confidence in   
yourself. Don't put yourself down on the latter so far. I mean,   
let's face it, if I hadn't known you for so long, I could be in serious   
trouble over having one Darien Chiba in my life."  
  
He smiled at the compliment. "I'll say that for you too."  
  
She giggled and laid back down. "Does that mean that if we met   
now things would be different between us?"  
  
"I hope so. We're alone in a hotel room laying on my bed and   
talking about marriage!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess that would be a little different. But you know, I   
don't think I mind this," she mumbled getting comfortable again.  
  
He smiled to himself. The image of their wedding still locked in   
his mind. "I don't either… Now, how did these moon dreams   
start?"  
  
"Darien!"  
  
He laughed at her. "Oh come on. You said that you've had a lot   
of them. I want to know about these things. They sound very   
interesting to me."  
  
"I'll give you interesting," she growled.  
  
"Come on, tell me," he said quietly nudging her head with his chin.   
"Please?"  
  
She sighed, "What do you want to know?"  
  
"When did they start?"  
  
She didn't answer right away and he wondered if he shouldn't   
have asked. "It was right before I decided to break up with Neil."  
  
He grimaced, no wonder she was being quiet. "I'm sorry Serena. I   
didn't mean to bring that up."  
  
She scooted up on her elbow so that she could look down at him.   
"Why not?" He looked at her confused for a moment. "Why not   
bring it up? I mean you and everyone else I know are still   
tiptoeing around the issue two months afterwards. I'm not going   
into a mental breakdown here Darien. I'm all right, but no one else   
seems to think so. I don't understand it."  
  
"Serena," he sighed looking up at her closely trying to judge her   
true feelings. "We're worried about you." He reached up with one   
hand to brush her check. "Going through something like this isn't   
easy. And you came very close to going with him."  
  
She looked away from his eyes. "All of those close to you got the   
scare of their lives and it isn't easy to forget that. We're worried   
about you partially because of the fear that we went through and   
partially because we aren't sure what you're feeling or what we   
can do to help." He paused still looking at her. "And I'm no   
exception."  
  
She turned back to him measuring his words. She finally sighed   
and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry Darien. I know how much I had   
to have scared you."  
  
He smiled tightly, "No you don't."  
  
She looked at him questioningly. He just watched her eyes and   
knew that he would have done anything just to see them again. He   
brushed her check again and then pulled her down to him again   
wrapping her close and not wanting to let go.  
  
They just laid there in silence for a while. He knew deep inside   
that with every touch or hug, every time he saw her eyes sparkle,   
he thanked God for sparing her. And he wondered silently if there   
wasn't a bigger reason why she was placed back in his arms.  
  
She stirred slightly, enough to tickle his chin with her bangs. "I   
am sorry Darien. I never meant to put you through that. Or   
anyone else for that matter."  
  
"I know. You didn't choose it. I'm just thankful that you're still   
here." He hugged her tighter to him to say it personally.  
  
She snuggled closer to him and laughed lightly. "I know you are.   
I saw that look in your eyes the first time you came into my   
hospital room. And I know you're still worried. I can see it in you   
from time to time. But, I've kind of made peace with myself and   
with Neil's death. I guess I just needed some time to really think   
everything through."  
  
He smiled at the top of her head. "And I think I just needed some   
time to adjust to what I kept feeling when you were asleep and not   
paying any attention to me."  
  
She chuckled lightly. "And what was that?"  
  
He rubbed his chin against her hair for a moment and closed his   
eyes. "That I don't know what I would do if I lost you." He   
opened his eyes again searching his heart for the right words.   
"That it took something like that to make me see just how much   
you mean to me."  
  
She caught her breath and tightened her hug to the breaking point.   
"I'm sorry. Oh, Darien, I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's all right Serena. I was just afraid of losing my little Meatball   
Head." He leaned over pecking a kiss on her head. "But, um, if   
you don't let go you're going to have to learn to live without me."  
  
She laughed and squeezed him tighter for a minute before letting   
go and propping herself up on her elbow. He coughed and   
sputtered a moment trying to find any cracked ribs. "I don't want   
to have to live without you. But a cast here and there I think would   
be very fitting."  
  
"Yeah, and I'll give you a few more stitches."  
  
She laughed. "Yeah, it'll add to my battle scars."  
  
"The only battles you get into is with bus benches."  
  
She looked at him sourly a moment. "How can you be so sweet   
and worried about me and then turn on me the next minute?"  
  
"I'm always sweet and believe me I'm always worried about you,"   
he said innocently.  
  
She slapped him for it and hopped up to walk around the bed to   
stand in front of the window. "It is really pretty here. Check out   
this sunset," she said waving him over.  
  
He rolled off the bed and walked over behind her. The sky was lit   
with pink and purple clouds as the sun fought for room to shine out   
before night tucked him in. The downtown buildings crowded   
their view of the sight but they remained secondary to nature itself.   
"It is pretty," he commented.  
  
She turned around without warning. "Let's go out and do   
something."  
  
He stared at her like she was a mental patient escaped from the   
institute. "Are you kidding? You were the one just saying that   
you couldn't figure out how to get around in this city and now you   
want to go out after dark when we don't have the foggiest idea   
where we're going." He lightly tapped her on the forehead. "You   
did bring you prescription with you right?"  
  
She slapped his hand and frowned at him. "Oh, come on. You just   
said you knew how to get around this city and besides if we get   
lost we get in a cab and tell them where we're suppose to be   
going."  
  
"City traveling according to Serena. Next lecture will be on the   
evils of sleeping on subways."  
  
"Yes, they're very hard on your back," she mumbled humoring   
him.  
  
He laughed at her and moved back to flop down on his bed. "You   
can't tell me that you're really up for this can you? I mean if it's   
like six o'clock here that makes it…" He tried to count back to   
what time it was at home. He just gave himself a headache.  
  
"I don't even want to know what time it is there. All I know is that   
my sleep cycle is completely messed up already and I don't care."  
  
He looked up at her wondering if he could bottle some of her   
energy and sell it as peppy-pills. "Have you ever heard of the   
Energizer Bunny by any chance?"  
  
She looked at him weird. "No. What is it? A landmark over here   
or something?"  
  
He laughed at her. "No. I was just wondering." He looked over at   
the TV and thought of a better distraction. "Why don't we stay in   
here where it's warm and get some American culture."  
  
She sat down beside him curiously. "How do we do that?"  
  
He reached over on the nightstand and retrieved the remote. "The   
most useful of all modern inventions of course."  
  
  
"The last time I saw a sunrise was the day I called you to say I was   
sick."  
  
Darien chuckled, "You must have been sick if you got out of bed   
that early."  
  
She turned to give him a dirty look. "No that was the first time I   
had one of those moon dreams."  
  
"Oh? What was that one about?" he asked curiously stepping up   
and wrapping his arms around Serena's waist.  
  
"Oh," she groaned quietly. "You don't want to know."  
  
"Really? Was I in that one too?" he asked leaning over slightly to   
place his chin on one of her meatballs.  
  
She sighed, leaning back against him. "Yes. You know, that one   
dream was the real reason why I decided to brake off with Neil."  
  
"Because of a dream?"  
  
"It was more than a dream," she mumbled placing her arms over   
his. "But the day's just started, lets not ruin it already."  
  
He looked down at the top of her head wondering what could   
possibly effect her that much from a dream. Then again, this was   
Serena. She could be greatly affected by accidentally buying the   
wrong flavor of Chap Stick.  
  
He instead gazed back out the window. From her room they had a   
very good view of the neighboring building. But a patch of sky   
could still be seen and it held many of the same colors that their   
sunset had.  
  
*Their sunset?* Why was it that all of his thought were traveling   
in we's and our's? The pair hadn't turned in for bed, well different   
beds, until nearly midnight. And lying there alone last night he   
had begun to think about all of the things that had been said before.   
Somehow a few new emotions had etched themselves on his brain   
and, he feared, on his heart. He had even caught himself seriously   
wondering about their wedding!  
  
But no matter how much he tried to put it out of his mind he had   
still fallen asleep thinking of her standing at an alter beside him.   
*Yeah, her and five bride's maids. Now would you get over it!*  
  
But this morning each had received a nice wake-up call from the   
Bentons' room across the hall. Apparently a sight seeing trip had   
been planned without their consent. So they were both up and   
dressed and staring absently out the window.  
  
"What time did you say it was back home?"  
  
"Ten o'clock at night."  
  
She barely nodded. "It feels like it."  
  
He chuckled into her hair and then slipped his arms away from her,   
taking one of her hands in the process. "Come now little Miss   
Bubbly. Time to play the part of the cute perky tourist."  
  
She laughed and followed him out and down the hall. The Bentons   
were already down stairs waiting for them. "So where are we   
going anyway?" she asked slipping on her coat.  
  
He stopped next to the elevator and turned to her. "I don't know."  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Knowledge is gained by learning; trust by doubt;   
skill by practice; and love by love" -Thomas Szasz.  
  
  



	18. Chapter 17

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Sigh Can I make this any sappier?  
  
  
Chapter 17  
*@}---*  
  
  
Four days. Four days in another country and Serena still couldn't   
get use to the time change. So what if it was time for her to get up   
back home, here she was just preparing for the main social dinner   
thing. *Oh well, I'll sleep when I'm dead. Which I might be if I   
don't get some sleep tonight.*  
  
She carefully slipped into her dress, which she was still seriously   
debating whether or not to wear. The dress that her friends had   
helped her pick out was certainly something else. She just wasn't   
sure if it wasn't for someone else. Why is it that dresses look so   
good when they're on the hanger but look totally wrong when on   
you?  
  
Carefully she smoothed out the thickly woven material. She   
couldn't even pronounce what it was made out of let alone know   
what it was but she had to admit it was heavy. The midnight blue   
cloth was woven with silver thread ducking in and out of it to give   
it a sparkle. But the weave of the cloth gave it a slight stretch and   
it was made to be very form fitting in the right places.  
  
That was of course if she had something to make it stretch. She   
had always been a bit lacking in the curve department… OK, so   
she was flat! And this advertisement didn't help any.  
  
It was strapless and cut straight across her chest and out to where   
the long sleeves started. This definitely left her shoulders bare but   
the rest of her was covered in blue. The dress clung lightly to her   
frame and then dropped straight to her feet. A slit climbed up her   
left side past her knee and enabled her to walk normally. Silver   
heels, that the girls had scoured the mail for, graced her feet and   
two matching barrettes possessed her hair, which she had promised   
that she would leave down and not tie up in the usual balls.  
  
But her jewelry had been her own choice. A small diamond charm   
in the shape of a crescent moon settled in the hallow of her throat   
and two diamond studs sat in her ears. She had forsaken any type   
of bracelet or watch because of the sleeves, and too much jewelry   
would have only cluttered the look. And she didn't need anything   
else to draw attention to herself.  
  
She looked in the mirror and pulled up on the top of her dress.   
This didn't look right. It should have belonged to someone with   
some shape. Or at least a better shape than she had. Why did she   
even buy the thing? How was she even going to try to pull this   
off? She wasn't cut out for this dress. Literally.  
  
Maybe she should change into one of her other dresses. She could   
still take this back to the store and… No, the girls would totally   
kill her if she didn't wear it and as soon as she got back they'd ask   
about it. She sighed and pushed her hair back behind her again.   
Ringlets spiraled around the bottom of its length but otherwise it   
was left as it pleased.  
  
She again stopped to stare at her dress in the mirror. Crossing her   
fingers on both hands she closed her eyes and pleaded with the   
reflection, "Please don't let me look like a total freak wanna-be!"  
  
She carefully played with her bangs again and decided to play with   
her makeup instead. But the knock on her door was enough to   
startle Serena into dropping her lipstick. Quickly she picked it up   
and pushed the cap on, smearing a tissue over the pink smudge on   
her dresser.  
  
She took a look into the mirror again and sighed before stepping   
over to the door and opening it. Darien walked in still attempting   
to button the cuffs of his shirt. "We're going to be so late. You   
know I really think I'm picking up your bad habits."  
  
She laughed at him feeling more at ease with herself. Not to   
mention that him standing there in a half put together tuxedo was   
pushing out most of the other thoughts in her mind. "I'm almost   
ready," she said instead, walking back to replace her makeup bag.  
  
"Well, that's three-fourths the battle," he mumbled beginning to   
fiddle with his bow tie. She giggled at him and he gave her a quick   
sour look, then stopped and looked back at her finally registering   
the dress.  
  
She stopped seeing his eyes trail over her and tried to build her   
confidence back up. It didn't work.  
  
"I-uh-didn't know exactly what to bring so I-uh-brought a few   
different dresses. Um… what do you think?" she asked quietly.  
  
He looked up to meet her eyes and shook his head at her with a   
laugh. "I think you have to be the most beautiful woman I've ever   
laid eyes on." He chuckled again. "And that's about all I'm   
thinking at his point in time."  
  
She stared at him a moment before tuning away with a bright blush   
across her checks. "Oh Darien, stop." She glanced back into the   
mirror and pulled up on the top again. "Oh, this just isn't right.   
Maybe I should change really fast. I have that white one I wore for   
Andrew's wedding. Maybe that would work bet… ter…"  
  
She hadn't noticed Darien's approach until he slipped an arm   
around her waist and his other hand was laid gently on her bare   
shoulder. She stopped a bit stunned and tried to turn to look at   
him. It didn't work.  
  
She felt him slowly lean down and brush his lips lightly over her   
shoulder and up her neck.  
  
Such a gentle touch. A lover's touch she knew. She closed her   
eyes and leaned into him a bit savoring the overwhelming   
emotions that crossed her heart.  
  
She felt him straighten a bit to whisper in her ear. "Why ruin the   
effect? Let every other man in that room give me evil looks all   
night." There was a humor in his voice that she smiled contentedly   
at. But the rest of him was saying something else entirely.  
  
He wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought her closer   
to lean back against him. She slid easily into his embrace and   
placed her arms over his to keep them there. He snuggled his chin   
in her hair. "You know," he whispered, "I miss your little   
meatballs." She laughed and felt his chest shake slightly as well.   
They stood laughing quietly together until another knock on her   
door jerked both of them back to reality.  
  
He turned towards the door startled by the interruption. Serena   
snapped her eyes open and found herself glancing back into her   
mirror again as she grudgingly detangled herself from his arms.   
That image burned itself into her memory. So did the emotions   
that she'd been feeling.  
  
She avoided his eyes as she made her way to the door and opened   
it to usher in an older pair. Romola entered and gasped at first   
sight of Serena. "Oh my," was the only thing she could say.  
  
Dr. Benton chuckled behind her. "Well now, this could make for   
an interesting night."  
  
She blushed and mumbled a thank you. Romola turned to regard   
Darien who was buttoning his jacket and equally avoiding Serena's   
eyes. "Well, I guess we're ready if Mr. Slow Poke is."  
  
He gave her a sour look and spread his arms. "I'll waiting for   
group approval."  
  
The older woman giggled at him. "Well you certainly have mine."  
  
He gave her a very flattering smile and turned to Dr. Benton.   
"You're going to have to watch that wife of yours."  
  
He laughed at the comment and wrapped an arm around her waist.   
"I do watch her. Always."  
  
She smiled up at him and he pecked a little kiss on her forehead.   
Serena stood there wondering how such a couple still existed in   
this day and age. They were so sweet to each other and seemed so   
much in love. How did people manage to do that?  
  
Unconsciously she glanced over at Darien and found that he did   
the same to her. She was about to turn away just as quickly when   
she caught his eye… and stayed there. Those eyes…  
  
"Well kids we'd better get down there and mingle." They both   
snapped out of it and nodded.  
  
The group left her room and headed down to the banquet room   
down stairs in the hotel. The room had been transformed from the   
first few times they had entered it for various 'group greetings,' or   
whatever. Tonight they had redecorated the large area into a   
formal atmosphere. Metallic strips of blues and golds crossed over   
themselves on the walls. Green was reserved for the tablecloths   
and golden star shaped glitter was sprinkled on the room's red   
carpeting.  
  
The stage had been set up for the American members of the group.   
Looking over the stage before they entered Serena could just spot   
the small golden plaque on display on one of the tables. And she   
wasn't the only one. Romola quietly looked over at her and   
smiled. She smiled back beginning to enjoy their little secret.  
  
Romola slipped her arm inside of her husband's and walked   
through the doors. Serena stopped a little nervously. Why she   
should be nervous she wasn't sure but there was a lot of very odd   
emotions running laps around her heart anyway. She turned to   
Darien and wondered if he felt anything like this too.  
  
If he did, he didn't show it. He looked back at her and then bowed   
formally. "May I have the honor of escorting this fair beauty   
during the evening's events?"  
  
She giggled lightly at him feeling any lingering uncomfort leaving   
her. "Gentle Sir, it would be my privilege to stay on your arm this   
evening," she said placing her hand in the one that he offered.  
  
He smiled at her and she felt herself melt a bit under his gaze. He   
took her arm and wrapped it through his and led her into the room   
behind the Bentons who had stopped to watch their little act. The   
two of them laughed and continuing their trek through the room to   
find their table.  
  
*Well the girls promised me turned heads,* she thought looking   
cautiously around to see what kind of attention she was getting.   
Most of it seemed good. …Most.  
  
"Somehow I think you just killed the hostess's hopes of being the   
most eye catching in the room," Darien said acting very   
nonchalant. She smiled at him and he smiled back, mischief   
shining openly in his eyes. She laughed, loving that look on him.   
So roughish, it was funny.  
  
She pulled him a little closer and lowered her voice. "Well   
someone should ask her where her fashion sense ran away to and if   
it's coming back any time soon."  
  
He paused looking away from her to glance around in the other's   
direction unconcernedly. "You know," he mumbled, "you're   
right." He turned completely to look down at her, "But you're   
mean."  
  
She giggled at him and they continued to let their friends lead them   
around the room in a very small parade. Eyes seemed to rove over   
the two of them more after each step. She could see the looks most   
of the women were giving her and none of them seemed nice. But   
whether that was because of her or the fact that she was stealing   
the arm of the most handsome man in the room she couldn't really   
tell. But then again, unless she was kidding herself she could pick   
out of few men that seemed to have a death wish for Darien. Poor   
souls, they just didn't stand a chance.  
  
Of course she did managed to intercept a few lustful stares from a   
passing group of women and she felt a small possessiveness take   
over her motives. She 'carelessly' placed her free hand on   
Darien's arm, which was still wrapped in hers. A small caress, but   
one that displaying an ownership. And right then, she didn't care   
in the least if she actually had no right to it.  
  
She felt him look down at her and she innocently looked up into   
his eyes. A bit of an amused confusion looked back at her and she   
smiled mischievously at him. He saw the slight dare written in her   
and smiled back taking on her challenge. He moved his arm so   
that he could take her hand in his and thoroughly entwined their   
fingers together. She continued to smile as she looked around the   
room again feeling as though she was looking down on it from a   
new vantage point.  
  
It was amazing what the slightest touch from him could do to her.  
  
Somehow she didn't feel the least bit self-conscious about the   
dress or about acting so chumming with Darien. All she felt was   
comfort there beside him like that was where she a royal queen set   
on the arm of her ruling king.  
  
The group of four moved through the room pausing only here and   
there to say hello to other groups that they had come to meet   
during the pervious encounters. Including one Ganelon Beaucaire   
a member of the French group. And a man that seemed to have an   
eye for her the two times that they'd met. He was certainly a   
handsome man, she would be the first to admit, but he seemed like   
the type that had all of his pick-up lines rehearsed to perfection.   
And she figured he had enough hours of actual use to rival the   
room's light bulbs.  
  
But she smiled politely to him when his gaze caught itself on her.   
Somehow she rather enjoyed the look in his eyes. As long as   
Darien still had her hand anyway. He was definitely not the type   
of man that you wanted to 'come up and have coffee' with.   
Something about him rang out a warning bell and she wasn't   
buying.  
  
But he was cute…  
  
Just not as cute as the decent man that she already had on her arm.   
With that thought she looked up at him while Romola and Dr.   
Benton exchanged pleasantries with him and the group he was   
with. He looked down at her with the same type of look in his   
eyes. He could read this guy from across the room too. She   
smiled at him knowing that they both felt the same way.  
  
He smiled back taking the chance to show up her little admirer. He   
quietly raised their hands that were still locked together and gently   
placed a kiss on the back of hers never taking his eyes from her.   
She blushed lightly at the intimacy that they were getting into, but   
again she just found herself not caring in the least.  
  
Once the group finally moved to the table assigned to them they sat   
down to wait for the start of the dinner. They didn't have to wait   
long. The hostess and head of the American Whatever Center, she   
couldn't remember what it was called anymore, initiated the event   
with an opening speech. She zoned out through most of it and then   
finally let the servers start with the meal. She didn't have the   
foggiest idea what it was that they were served but she decided to   
be brave and try it. And for American food it wasn't bad.  
  
She just didn't want to eat it often.  
  
Dinner passed and she managed not to spill anything on herself or   
anyone else. And she didn't attempt to cut her meat with her   
spoon again and she even resisted the temptation to pour salt in   
Darien's drink when he wasn't looking. Although it would have   
been so easy, he was way too trusting in these formal settings. He   
would have never suspected her of trying it in a place like this.   
Little did he know—No! She wouldn't do it. She was going to be   
the perfect little date for the evening.  
  
That was until the little award thing that she'd been carefully   
eyeing all night was given out. Oh, he was going to kill each and   
every one of them! He He! …Wait.  
  
She glanced over at him as they waited for the rest of the   
occupants to finish with their meals. He was caught up in a   
conversation with Dr. Benton, and Romola seemed to be in   
wrapped interest because she was listening quietly. But to her all   
physics conversations sounded the same. The distance to this, the   
measurements of that, this law and that theory, blaa, blaa, blaa.  
  
She didn't care to know and she wouldn't understand it anyway.   
Numbers were all nice and good, but she understood people.   
Numbers were too impersonal for her; they couldn't even go   
shopping with you! What kind of relationship was that?  
  
*Oh-Kay. Earth calling Serena, if you can hear us please respond   
by switching back into the frequency normally used by human   
beings.*  
  
The remainder of the waiting period was spent much the same way   
except that Darien, who had apparently picked up on the fact that   
she was bored probably because she was trying to experiment as to   
how many pieces she could tear her paper napkin into, started a   
game with her. "OK, OK, so what about the guy on the end next to   
her?"  
  
She looked at the mentioned person and shrugged, "Zimbabwe!"  
  
He looked at her sourly. "Do you even know where Zimbabwe   
is?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Neither do I so stop saying it already."  
  
"Fine," she mumbled. The object of the game was to figure out   
where the person in mention was from by dress and looks. So far   
they'd probably gotten about two right.  
  
But their little game was interrupted by yet another boring speech   
on 'why we're gathered here tonight.' She wondered silently if the   
groups around that didn't speak English had translators for this or   
if they just sat there and acted like they were paying attention like   
she was.  
  
But once the president of something or other finished his spiel and   
sat down their hostess again walked to the front and motioned over   
to the award plaque that had been moved up beside her. Serena sat   
up straighter in her chair and gave Romola a quick look. She   
returned it and gave her husband the same type of look. This was   
it.  
  
…This was eventually it.  
  
"And now I would like to present this plaque to this year's   
winner," the woman finally finished. This was definitely it!   
"Darien Chiba of the Bane Observatory Research Center in Tokyo   
Japan."  
  
The rest of the room burst into clapping both for the   
accomplishment of the young man and of the fact that she was   
done talking. But Darien sat there and stared at the front stage as   
though he'd never seen this planet before. The Bentons turned to   
clap for him and he slowly turned to them as if he didn't   
comprehend his own name.  
  
Serena took matters into her own hands by smacking him on the   
shoulder to snap him out of it and then shoved him towards the   
front. He finally came to and walked quickly, and a lot more   
confidently towards the front than she would have given him credit   
for. Their hostess presented him with the plaque and he shook her   
hand, graciously bowing to her as well and then did the same to the   
president guy before retreating back down the stage's steps.  
  
"What, no speech?" she mumbled to the pair she still sat with.  
  
They laughed at her and she carefully watched him walk back to   
them. He was never the type to let on that he was anything but   
perfectly calm with any situation. But something in his step told   
her that he was just a bit at a loss for explanation. He walked up to   
the table, eyed each of them in turn finding only smiling faces, and   
sat down in his chair. "All right, who knew about this?"  
  
She smiled wider enjoying the slight discomfort in him. Serena   
leaned over to him placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him   
stationary while she rose halfway to peck a quick kiss on his   
check. "Just say thank you and be quiet," she whispered loudly in   
his ear.  
  
He looked at her sitting close to him and then across to the other   
pair. "Thank you," he mumbled looked down at the plaque that he   
had laid on the table. The other three of them laughed at his   
expense and moved to admire his prize. She scooted closer to him   
and wrapped her arm through his and placed her other hand over   
his, smiling sweetly. He glared at her out of the corner of his eye.   
"Deceptive, conniving little…"  
  
"You're welcome," she said innocently. "And you're worth it   
Muffin."  
  
  
"I can't believe you did this to me."  
  
"What did I do?" Serena asked indignantly.  
  
"You deceptively tricked me into coming here because of some   
guilt trip over 'I've never been out of the country before and it's all   
your fault,' never mentioning your ulterior motives," Darien   
grumbled at her.  
  
"I don't even know what ulterior means."  
  
"You're a snake!"  
  
She laughed at him very amused by the whole situation. He   
wasn't. Sure he was very proud of the accomplishment, but he   
would have liked to have known about it before he got pushed up   
on stage to get it. The nerve of these people!  
  
"Oh come on, lighten up will you? It's a nice night, you just got a   
very prestigious award, and you're in unbelievable company."  
  
"Yeah, an unbelievable snake," he grumbled quietly. She turned to   
give him one of her infamous 'looks' and he relented. "Fine, I'll   
grumble later. But in all truth you surprised me. I didn't think you   
could hide something like that from me." He walked over to her   
pouting. "And you used to never be able to hide things from me."  
  
She giggled lightly at him and wrapped her arms around his waist   
from a side angle. They had decided that the night was too young   
to leave it all by itself so they had found their way out onto the   
hotel's back patio type thing. Snow lounged around in places on   
the ground but for January there was surprising little. The moon   
was out and nearly full and the clouds had moved out, which was   
ensuring a heavy frost tonight.  
  
He looked down at Serena's form wrapped in his arms. She had   
seemed so tired this afternoon but she was always a night owl   
anyway. This was more than likely at great time of day for her.   
And he had to admit that he wasn't exactly pushing for them to   
retire for the evening yet. She just looked much too cute standing   
there staring up at the moon like that.  
  
But she had to be cold. He leaned down to whisper beside her ear.   
"Aren't you cold, Love?" he teased.  
  
She looked to him with an evil glint in her eyes. "Yes, you're   
acting like a pop sickle."  
  
He chuckled at her moving her so that she was completely   
encircled in his arms. "Why do all of your analogies have to do   
with food?"  
  
She smiled, "Because food will always be my one true love, so if   
you think you're going to move in on it's turf you've got another   
thing coming."  
  
He did all he could to keep the smile off of his face. "So I don't   
rank any higher than a pop sickle?"  
  
She paused, thinking for a moment. "Maybe a lime one."  
  
"Oh, you're so generous."  
  
She giggled at him and moved closer as the wind swirled around a   
bit. "Do you want to go in?" he asked a little worried about her   
health out here.  
  
"No," she mumbled, "you're actually a lot warmer than I thought."  
  
He laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment." He moved her back   
away from him, which he didn't think she appreciated much, and   
took off his jacket. She didn't protest so he wrapped it around her   
sufficiently smothering her in cloth.  
  
She giggled at him and took the jacket fronts from him to keep it   
wrapped there herself. He pulled her closer and laced his arms   
around her too. He had to admit that without his tuxedo jacket it   
was rather cold out, but he wasn't about to leave this little minx   
beside him. Even if she wasn't exactly on the top of his list for this   
little stunt. She was still so beautiful…  
  
He leaned his chin on her hair again missing the little meatballs,   
but he had to admit that she certainly looked gorgeous with it   
down. He glanced at her remembering every detail of the way she   
looked. He'd memorized her, and it hadn't taken long.  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Hum?"  
  
"Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?"  
  
It was a goofy question and he felt like an incredible sap for saying   
it but he figured he was way beyond feeling sapping anyway.   
Besides, girls liked these things right?  
  
She laughed, "You're not real good at this sort of thing are you?"  
  
He chucked not realizing how transparent he was being. "Sorry.   
You have to remember that I'm a little on the rusty side."  
  
"Yeah, but you're also a little on the flirtatious side. I'd hate to   
think about what you'd do to any other poor defenseless girl if you   
treated her the same way you've treated me tonight."  
  
"You started it."  
  
She looked up at him. "No, you did with that little act when we   
walked in."  
  
"It started before that," he mumbled very quietly.  
  
She didn't say anything back for a moment and he wondered if he   
should have mentioned it at all. He really hadn't known what he   
was doing back in her room. It just came over him all of a sudden   
and she hadn't seemed to mind. But something like that…  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly trying to get her to look up at him   
again.  
  
She did. "For what?"  
  
"For that little episode. I don't really know what I was thinking."   
He chuckled, "But it's your fault for looking so radiant."  
  
She turned away with what had to be a bright blush. "It's all   
right," she said quietly. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it."  
  
He smiled at the statement. Gently he removed a hand from her   
waist and used it to bring her chin up to look at him again. "And   
I'd be lying if I said you are anything but exceptionally beautiful."  
  
She smiled slightly, "You're getting better at this."  
  
He smiled down at her and she hopped up to hug him, forsaking   
his jacket which would have been on the ground had it not been for   
his arm that was still curled around her. He moved his other hand   
back behind her neck to keep her close for a few more minutes.   
Only to have her yank back away from him.  
  
He looked at her a bit startled. And she quickly reached up to grab   
his hand. Giggling lightly she looked up at him. "Your hands are   
cold."  
  
He laughed just now noticing the difference between the apparent   
temperature of their hands. "Sorry," he mumbled. She simply   
laughed at him and entwined her fingers with his and held his hand   
close to try to warm him.  
  
He couldn't help but look at her standing there in cold moonlight.   
And he could have sworn that he felt his heart shatter.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Oceans of feelings   
Rise in clouds of vapor dreams   
And the rain cleanses." -Will Phillips.  
  
  
  



	19. Chapter 18

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. Wait! Do you smell that? Smells like romance to   
me!! Giggle.  
  
  
Chapter 18  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Rain, rain, go away. Don't come back to bother me   
another day."  
  
"Would you give it a rest. The clouds aren't going to   
remove themselves just for your sole enjoyment."  
  
"Why not?" Serena pouted. This was the third day in a row   
that the clouds had been dripping and she was really tired of it.   
"After all this is March! We should still have snow."  
  
Darien finally turned away from the computer to look at her   
standing in front of the window. "We had our one good snow for   
the year remember? That's all we normally get."  
  
"I don't care," she grumbled, "I don't like rain."  
  
He looked past her and out the window. "I've always liked   
rain. It's my favorite form of precipitation."  
  
She turned to give him an un-amused look. "Only a some   
psychotic manic depressant like you would like rain."  
  
He smiled at her. "I really do think I'm expanding your   
vocabulary."  
  
"Yes, I am spending entirely too much time around you."   
She turned back to the window in time to spot a bolt of lightning   
making it's way across the sky. She shivered involuntarily. "Do   
you think we're in for a storm?"  
  
"I don't know. But maybe you should curl up under your   
desk for the rest of the day just in case."  
  
He chuckled at his own joke and turned back to work. She   
regarded his back with a very cruel look. "The only thing I should   
be hiding from is you," she said haughtily.  
  
He laughed at her without turning around. "You can insult   
me all you like but I'm not the one that wanted to go in so badly   
when that storm came up last week."  
  
She frowned at him. Their usual Friday tradition had   
gotten rained on last week too and when the clouds started flashing   
she was in near panic from being stuck outside in the park. "So. I   
don't like the idea of being hit by lightning. Electrocution would   
have to be a horrible way to go."  
  
"Yeah, just hope you never get a death sentence."  
  
She crossed her arms and leaned back against the glass.   
"Why would I ever get a death sentence?"  
  
He shrugged still not turning towards her. "I consider you   
a plague to humanity."  
  
"I'll give you a death sentence!" She took two steps and   
swatted at him. Laughing he dodged away from her.  
  
She finally stood there extremely agitated with him.   
"Sorry," he managed to mumble holding up both hands in a   
manner of surrender.  
  
She humphed and began to walk back to the window. Then   
she faked back and landed a light backhand across his jaw. He   
squeaked in surprise at the move he wasn't expecting and she   
laughed evilly. "I warn you not to underestimate me."  
  
He looked at her a bit shocked and then recovered himself.   
"And I warn you not to try that again."  
  
Dead serious, not a good look to trifle with she knew. But   
then again… She smiled daringly at him and got the same type of   
challenge back from him. She then shrugged and walked back to   
the window. "I still don't like rain."  
  
"I've noticed," he mumbled going back to his calculations.   
She watched him closely from the corner of her eye trying to judge   
how that sixth sense of his worked. But another bolt of lightning   
distracted her concentration. She turned fully to look out at the   
approaching storm. The rain had increased and was now coming   
down in a normal shower instead of the light sweat it had been in   
for days.  
  
"I really don't like storms," she muttered very quietly.  
  
"Chill out Serena. We've only got two hours left of work   
and then you can go home and hide in your covers."  
  
Did that man have super delicate hearing or what? "Do   
you have any idea how much I hate you?"  
  
He turned to her curious. "No, how much?"  
  
"Enough to have three different books on mid-evil torture   
sitting on my coffee table."  
  
He smiled, "Well, at least I got you to read a book."  
  
"Not really. I just look at the pictures and find the ones that   
look the most painful."  
  
"Nice to know you want the best for me," he said wistfully.  
  
She smiled wickedly, "True. Now do you want to be   
buried or cremated?"  
  
"Why, are you going to pay for my funeral too?"  
  
"No. I just want to know whether or not to leave anything   
left of your body."  
  
He chuckled in spite of the topic of their conversation.   
"One of these days you really are going to try to kill me aren't   
you?"  
  
She giggled and walked over to him. "No, Muffin, I   
couldn't kill you. What would I do without you? I'd be totally   
bored. And besides, who would I have to beat up on?" she asked   
quickly reaching over to punch him in the arm playfully.  
  
And she got caught.  
  
"How does someone your age keep up those reflexes?" she   
asked indicating the hold he now had on her hand.  
  
"My age?" he asked looking at her like she'd just killed his   
favorite houseplant.  
  
She giggled at him. "Well, most guys hit their primes in   
their teens. I mean you're like way past that." His look sharpened   
and the normal gleam cut out of his eyes. And she knew she was   
in trouble.  
  
"Well now," he mumbled, swiftly wrapping an arm around   
her waist and using the hand he already had on hers to spin her   
around and pull her off her feet. "I think I'll have to teach you a   
little respect for your elders."  
  
She turned to regard him, eye to eye, and realized that she   
was sitting on his lap.  
  
She looked at him wide eyed not exactly knowing how   
she'd gotten there. But his eyes looking back at her lightened with   
amusement and a twinkle danced as he laughed at her expense.  
  
"You enjoy doing that to me don't you?" she asked very   
aggravated with him.  
  
He continued to laugh, "Yes. You should see your face."  
  
At this point in time she wished her face reflected nothing   
but anger! "Yeah, yeah, just keep laughing," she grumbled trying   
to get up. When he didn't let her go she glared back at him. "Let   
go!"  
  
He continued to laugh lightly with a crooked smile locked   
in place. "No."  
  
"Darien," she growled very softly, "Let go of me."  
  
Not even a blink. "No."  
  
She glared at him and tried again to get out of his grasp but   
with him still holding one wrist and an arm wrapped around her   
waist she couldn't move. The only response to her attempts was a   
tightening of his arm around her. "Darien, I am not going to ask   
you again," she said slowly. Her blood was beginning to boil, and   
it wasn't just from anger.  
  
"That's good to know," he said perfectly happy with the   
situation. She was about to protest farther when she felt the hand   
that he had around hers move slightly. His thumb traced absently   
across her palm and down her wrist slowly and then began its trip   
back up again.  
  
And with such an insignificant touch she felt all of her   
anger leave her. She looked back at him awestruck by what a   
simple touch could do to her. He looked back a bit confused by   
the apparent switch in emotions. "How do you do that?" she asked   
not really thinking through what she was asking.  
  
He watched her curiously, "Do what?"  
  
Her mind finally caught up with her. "Nothing," she said   
hurriedly, but she knew he didn't believe her. "I just can't stay   
mad at you, you know that?" she said instead.  
  
He smiled at her but confusion still lingered in his eyes. "I   
guess you just can't resist me," he said affectionately.  
  
Silently she had to agree with him. And knowing that she   
moved to hug him with her free hand and he released his hold on   
her other arm. Hugging him check to check without the familiar   
height difference that usually let her curl up next to his chest   
seemed strange. But it wasn't nearly as odd as the feelings she was   
getting.  
  
She stayed there very aware of how close he was and the   
way he held her. She was also extremely aware of the fact that the   
slightest touches from him could do things to her that she'd never   
known before. And she had to admit, she was afraid.  
  
They had started being increasingly cozy with each other   
and she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought of where this   
might be going. Or to what end it might lead. But she trusted him   
with everything in her life, and now she had begun to wonder if   
she felt she could trust him with her heart.  
  
Her stomach tied itself in knots over the thought and she   
quickly pushed herself back from him. Just for the slightest second   
she thought she could see the same emotions reflected in his eyes   
but she could have been deceiving herself.  
  
BANG!  
  
They both turned to the window at the same time, startled   
by the loud crash of thunder outside. She involuntarily clutched   
onto his shirt with one hand frightened anew by the approaching   
storm. He looked back at her a bit concerned. "It's just an early   
spring storm Meatball Head. It's nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"I know." She turned away from him but she made no   
move to leave his protective care.  
  
"But you still are," he mumbled to her, and she thought she   
could detect a slight laughter in his voice.  
  
She looked at him sourly. "You're always so   
unsympathetic to me."  
  
He chuckled, "Sorry. I just don't see why you're so   
frightened by them."  
  
She sighed and put all of her earlier thoughts out of her   
mind. First and foremost Darien was one of her dearest friends   
and confidants. "I don't know. Just one of those childhood things   
that I never grew out of I guess."  
  
He looked at her sideways since she had dropped her eyes   
to look at the floor. "Are you sure that's all it is? I mean things   
like this usually come out of some childhood trauma. And believe   
me, I know how terrified you get sometimes."  
  
Yes, he knew all right. And she hated that he knew.  
  
"Really I don't think it's anything like that Darien. I've   
just been scared of them as long as I can remember and I've never   
gotten over it. Although I'm getting better," she added to lighten   
the mood.  
  
He smiled at her. "If this is better I would have hated to   
have known you as a child."  
  
She pouted at him angry at the comment. He saw the look   
and brought up a hand to caress her check. "Sorry. This just isn't   
your day is it?"  
  
"No," she mumbled fighting dizziness "you're mean."  
  
He smiled and she couldn't be sure if it was because of   
what she said or that he knew what he was doing to her. And   
enjoying it! "I know, but you're just so cute when you're mad at   
me."  
  
"What a great thing to base a relationship on."  
  
"Hey, it's worked so far."  
  
"Yeah, I haven't managed to find a way to make you pay   
for it yet."  
  
He chuckled, "I know, I'm just trying to get in as many as   
possible."  
  
"I think you've gotten in plenty."  
  
"Well it isn't exactly like you haven't made a few good   
come backs in the years that I've known you."  
  
She smiled contentedly, "Just a few?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't really remember them all that well."  
  
"Yes, you have such a bad memory."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "And which one of us was said to   
have the memory of an ameba?"  
  
She paused to think, "Um… you?" she asked innocently.  
  
"No."  
  
She reached up to scratch her head thoughtfully. "Wait,   
give me a minute. I know this one."  
  
He laughed at her, "How did I ever get you though school   
like this?"  
  
"Oh, I think you had a little help," she said pointedly.  
  
"I suppose. After all what do teachers get paid for   
anyway?" he mused.  
  
"Tormenting students," she said seriously as she scooted   
back to lay her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Somehow I think you did a pretty good job of tormenting   
them back."  
  
"Me? Torment someone? Never!"  
  
He snorted, "Right."  
  
She giggled at him and closed her eyes peacefully. This   
was so much more like what she was use to. "When have I ever   
tormented you."  
  
There was a slight pause. "More than you know," he   
answered quietly.  
  
She slowly opened her eyes not understanding his words.   
Why would she…  
  
"Of course, just the fact that you always get me completely   
sidetracked from the work I'm suppose to be doing is enough of a   
torment!"  
  
It was a cover up and she knew it. But he was right. They   
should be doing some actual work instead of bating arguments out   
of each other.  
  
CRACK!  
  
She squeaked as the thunder bolt hit and clutched onto   
Darien a little tighter yet as the lights blinked. But he seemed to   
have something else to worry about. With a moan he collapsed his   
head onto her shoulder. "No!" he sobbed.  
  
She couldn't figure out what was wrong until she turned   
half way to look behind her at his computer, which was now   
rebooting itself. Serena looked back at him, groaning pitifully into   
her shoulder. "You didn't save it did you?"  
  
He picked his head up to look at her warily. And promptly   
kicked her off of his lap.  
  
"Oh!" she squealed. With one arm he managed to steady   
her until she found her balance again and prevented her from   
sprawling out on the floor in front of her.  
  
He hopped up behind her and paced a tender hand on her   
hip. "Hold that thought," he whispered in her ear.  
  
Her thought at the time was to wring his miserable throat.   
But with those words whispered to her she lost all thoughts save   
one. "Where are you going?"  
  
He removed his hands from her hips and walked towards   
the door. "To find out what's going on out there." He motioned   
back towards the window as he stepped out the door.  
  
She didn't like being left alone, especially after being   
wrapped up with him like that, but she turned back to the window   
and looked out. The clouds had turned the sky a deep blue and   
silver lightning played through them carelessly. Such a dark   
blue…  
  
She glanced back at the door wondering how long he would   
take. Granted he was being a pain today, but he was also her best   
protection. And right now she missed him.  
  
Serena hugged herself feeling empty without him. She   
shook her head trying to clear out those kinds of thoughts. This   
was Darien! Sure she cared about him, but she shouldn't be   
swooning when he held her and she shouldn't be feeling so lost   
when he left her for a few lousy minutes.  
  
But she did.  
  
She stood staring out at the storm and not seeing any of it.   
Why was she feeling like this? If it was more than just her caring   
for him why didn't she see it? And why was she… why was she   
so afraid of the prospect of it being more than that? They had   
always been friends. Good friends. But now, maybe there was a   
chance that they could be more than that. Maybe they could   
even…  
  
No! She liked where they were. She liked their   
relationship. It was familiar to her. If she fell… fell in love with   
him then everything would change! Change. There had been too   
much of it in her life recently and she didn't know if she could take   
anymore of it.  
  
But let's face it, it had already changed. With that little   
episode at the conference in America it had changed. Maybe even   
before that. Maybe even before her accident. It could have   
happened any time. But it did and now she had to realize that they   
weren't the same as they had been.  
  
Now she had to decide what she intended to do.  
  
But she didn't want it to change, didn't want to risk what   
they already had; but her heart wasn't about to see reason in this   
matter. Something just frightened her about starting a deep   
relationship with him even though… even though she knew she   
couldn't fight it. And she could feel her heart winning even now.  
  
What would it be like to be in love with him? He was   
always feircesly devoted to those he cared about. She had enjoyed   
that for years. But if he was truly in love with someone how much   
more would he care for them? If he truly loved her he would be   
complete devoted to her. He'd never leave her, she knew that, and   
he would always keep her close. He would be afraid of loosing   
her… even more than he was now. If he loved her…  
  
She closed her eyes savoring that image. She would be   
lying if she didn't say that she thought of his heart as a prize only   
to be given to one person in his life. Could it be possible to   
capture that?  
  
…Had she?  
  
The extra amount of affection that he'd shown her lately   
startled her now and then, but in all truth she welcomed it. If just   
the smallest touch or word from him could do these things to her…  
  
No. This was too much too fast. And she had no way of   
knowing what he felt short of asking him. And she didn't think   
she could do that. She had thought about it at the conference but   
couldn't put it to words then. Maybe just this once she would keep   
something from him, and just see where it led her.  
  
…Then why was she still scared?  
  
Another bolt sliced past the window and she jumped in   
spite of herself. *Darien!*  
  
"Oh you're going to love this," he said entering the office   
behind her like he had heard her mental plea.  
  
She turned to regard him as another bolt flashed. "What?"  
  
He moved over to stand next to her in front of the window.   
"Looks like we're in for some serious weather. This storm's just   
getting started."  
  
"Started?" She looked back out the window to the evil   
clouds that were still building. "Are you sure we're safe up here?   
I mean that lightning looks totally wicked." She hugged herself   
tighter as she watched the clouds flicker and flash as white bolts   
traced their surfaces.  
  
Darien chuckled beside her. "Yes Meatball Head, we're   
safe enough in here."  
  
A bolt sizzled its way through the air outside as if denying   
his words. The thunder struck only seconds afterward. She   
jumped again growing more frightened by the minute. "Ya-ya-  
you're sure a-about that?" she asked teeth chattering.  
  
He laughed openly at her as he wrapped his arms over her   
shoulders. "Calm down, everything will be just fine."  
  
CRAAAAAASH!  
  
They both jumped as the lights cut out leaving them in the   
dark twilight of the storm. Serena slowly turned her wide,   
frightened eyes up to Darien who was staring out the window. "Of   
course… I could be wrong," he mumbled not turning to her.  
  
A bolt flashed over top of them illuminating them for a   
second before the thunder rolled into them pushing the darkness   
back in. Serena's composure didn't last any longer than that. She   
turned around and flung herself into his arms hoping for safety.   
She felt his strong arms wrap around her protectively.  
  
"It's all right Serena. I won't let anything happen to you.   
You know that." There was a slight amusement in his voice as he   
placed his chin in her hair. She snuggled into him closing her eyes   
against the lightning. Somehow this all seemed much too familiar.  
  
"Serena?" She raised her head to look at him registering   
the note of concern. She nodded silently to reassure him. She also   
noticed that the emergency lights had come on out in the hallway   
but everything else remained dark.  
  
He apparently read her thoughts. "The city power grid up   
here probably got knocked out. The generators have kicked in."   
She nodded absently trying her best not to listen to the loud crashes   
coming from outside. "Serena, are you OK?"  
  
She looked back at him catching the look in his eyes   
slightly because of the nearly nonexistent lighting. "I-I'm OK,"   
she whispered as another bolt shot through the air.  
  
"Well, look at it his way," he said tilting her chin up with   
one hand, "We can't do any work with the power out."  
  
Despite everything she laughed at him. He laughed a   
moment too before leaning forward to peck a kiss on her forehead.   
A bit startled she looked up to meet his eyes. She cursed the   
darkness in the room that wouldn't let her see him clearly. But   
through the flickers of lightning she could see him gazing back at   
her. It was only then that she noticed a hotness to her checks. She   
was blushing!  
  
*Over a little kiss on the forehead? Come on Serena, he's   
done a lot more than that to make you blush…*  
  
Her thoughts cut themselves off as she remembered back to   
their encounter at the conference. The same emotions clouded up   
in her heart again as she stared into his eyes illuminated by the   
strobe effect flashes. Those same warm blue eyes…  
  
She saw them flicker quickly from her eyes down and then   
back to them. She hadn't noticed how close they were or the   
gentle hand he still held under her chin that was easing her face up   
towards him.  
  
She saw him again glance down from her eyes to her…   
lips? With that slight realization dawning in her cloudy mind she   
involuntarily looked down to his lips as well. So close it seemed in   
the lightning lit room.  
  
She looked back to his eyes to see him do the same as he   
closed the last of the gap between them. Her mind barely   
registered as he turned slightly and finally lost eye contact. But it   
couldn't help but notice the soft brush of his lips against her.  
  
She slowly let her eyes flutter shut as he touched her again,   
lingering longer this time. Gently he caught her lips again   
deepening his kiss little by little.  
  
She felt his hand that had been resting on her check trace   
down her neck and then drop down to wrap itself around her waist.   
Slowly he pulled her closer and without thought she slid her arms   
around his neck. He pressed her close and tilted her back slightly   
as he leaned over her.  
  
Slowly he released her lips enough to reposition as he   
slipped a hand up her back to keep her close. But she had no   
thoughts of moving away from him. Very few thoughts existed in   
her foggy mind at all and they were still in the process of figuring   
out what was happening to her.  
  
He pressed his lips back to hers with an innate gentleness   
that was beginning to give way to an increased passion… And her   
entire world shattered.  
  
His touch chased out every thought from her mind and   
opened her heart like a floodgate. Emotions she didn't know   
existed washed over her. She was in no position to stop the deluge   
and her heart laughed at the prospect of ever trying. She wasn't   
about to stop this.  
  
Every other sense fled from her. Her entire being was   
transfixed with HIM.  
  
Neither paid any mind to the storm outside. The storm   
between them had taken over completely. Neither noticed   
anything but the other. And neither noticed the older woman who   
had unsuspectingly entered through the open door carrying a   
flashlight. And neither noticed when she slipped back out just as   
quickly.  
  
Darien cared about nothing else but HER. His heart was   
racing in his chest and his knees were threatening to give out. But   
all he was concerned with was the sweet little pair of lips he was   
smothering.  
  
He again pressed her closer wanting to make her stay with   
him this way forever. To hold her so close and never have to part   
from her lips' company.  
  
He felt her tighten her hold on him as if she could read his   
heart's desires. One arm wrapped around and down to his opposite   
shoulder blade to press him closer. Her other hand stayed at his   
neck to keep him from leaning away form her.  
  
But he wasn't about to let go.  
  
He was pouring out every emotion and every passion he   
had ever felt for her. And a few others he didn't know existed   
before.  
  
His ragged breathing and a sharp crack of thunder finally   
stopped them. Momentarily startled they both turned towards the   
window. Darien was the first to recover looking back to her still   
locked tightly in his arms. She turned to regard him as well.  
  
Staring down into her eyes again he realized that for the   
first time in his life he was throwing caution away and completely   
falling for this woman. His heart was the only voice he heard and   
he knew he would have died for one more kiss from her.  
  
And she… let go of him.  
  
His heart completely rebelled as she slid out of his grasp.   
Every fiber of his being wanted to grab onto her again and not let   
go. But the fact that she was willingly walking away from him   
killed that notion before he could use it.  
  
His rational mind screamed curses at his stupidity. What   
did he think he was doing?! This was Serena! Meatball Head!   
The one girl in the world that…  
  
What had he done?  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is   
what makes the ride worthwhile." -Franklin P. Jones.  
  
  
  



	20. Chapter 19

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. He he he he he heee. Still with me? :-P tease  
  
  
Chapter 19  
*@}---*  
  
  
"Hi Mom. What's for dinner?"  
  
That was a voice and a question that Ilene Tsukino hadn't   
heard in far too long. Although through her surprise she noticed   
the obvious, what was her daughter doing home unexpectedly on a   
Wednesday night? "Serena? Honey, I wasn't expecting you.   
What in the world are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, I just missed my loving family and I thought maybe   
I'd pop over and surprise you," she said hopping up to sit on the   
counter beside her.  
  
She gave her daughter an odd look searching for any sign   
that something was wrong. "That's nice dear. But are you sure   
there isn't something wrong?"  
  
Serena looked back at her obviously about to say that she   
was imagining things but she stopped short. Ilene had always   
found herself to be very good at reading people, and her only   
daughter was no exception to that.  
  
Instead the younger girl sat there staring off into a corner of   
the kitchen without seeing a thing. Slowly Ilene took her chin in   
one of her hands and turned her so that she had to look at her.   
"Serena, what is it? You can tell me."  
  
The other looked back at her for a moment before   
answering. "Mom, I was wondering something."  
  
She nodded listening carefully to the strain in her voice.   
"What is it dear?"  
  
She again looked down to watch her bare feet swing   
absently off the edge of counter. "When did you and Dad fall in   
love?"  
  
So it had come to this talk. She smiled to herself as she   
watched her little girl not watching her. "Well now let me see,"   
she mumbled returning to her casserole's preparation. "Your   
father and I were high school sweethearts. I guess it started there.   
We started dating when I was a sophomore. Of course your   
grandfather didn't like it any. But once he got to know Dad he   
couldn't really object." She chuckled to herself as she thought   
about it, "He reminds me so much of what your father did to you   
when you first started dating."  
  
"What do you mean? He still does the 'dad thing' to my   
dates now."  
  
She laughed looking over to see a little laughter in her   
daughter's eyes too. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She sighed   
looking out the window at the now passing storm. "Well, we just   
carried on that way. He graduated a year before I did and as that   
day got closer I was more than a little scare of loosing him once he   
started college. But I shouldn't have worried about it. He was   
always more than worried about things for both of us."  
  
Serena giggled lightly, "He was always like this wasn't   
he?"  
  
She nodded solemnly, "Yes, he was. But he was a faithful   
man and well, I guess I already loved him."  
  
She paused, thinking back to their dating relationship,   
Serena also remained quiet for a time. "What made you think that   
you really loved him? I mean, how did you know?"  
  
This wasn't an idle question. Her girl was looking for   
something and she knew that what she wanted was an answer to   
her own heart. "I suppose I knew by the way he treated me. More   
of a growing feeling than anything else." She stared out the   
window in thought. "It took me a while before I even realized that   
I was falling in love with him. I finally admitted it to him the same   
time that I realized it myself." She looked at the other smiling,   
"And I think that might have just been when he knew it too."  
  
"How were you sure what it was?"  
  
Ilene sighed, "I wasn't sure of it Serena. I was a bit   
frightened at first, but all I knew was what I felt when I was with   
him. I knew he cared about me and wouldn't let anything happen   
to me. Even when I was scared that I'd loose him when he started   
college, he would hold me and say that nothing could tear us apart.   
I felt safe with him, secure that he would always be there. I felt   
loved back. I knew I couldn't live without that comfort or that   
protection. He was just always there for me. I guess that was one   
of the main reasons that I did fall in love with him. I trusted him   
completely."  
  
She paused smiling at the memories. Now they seemed so   
far removed from her but she reflected mildly that she still felt   
loved when he held her. After so many years that may have been   
the only thing that didn't fade.  
  
Turning back to Serena she was going to say more but   
stopped seeing the troubled, far away look in her blue eyes.   
"Serena, why are you asking? Has something happened?"  
  
Again she didn't look at her but instead closed her eyes and   
turned away. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked her like that. But   
then the younger girl hopped down from the counter and wrapped   
her arms around her mother nearly crushing her. "Oh Mom, I   
don't know what's happening," she sobbed into her apron.  
  
Ilene simply stood there hugging her back wondering what   
to do for the child. "Tell me dear, what is it?"  
  
She stifled her sobs and looked up at her with tears shining   
in her eyes. "I'm scared."  
  
  
Andrew walked up to Darien's apartment door carrying his   
coat. The rain had stopped and the sun had come out with a   
vengeance making it extremely humid and extremely sticky for the   
end of winter. He knocked on the door and waited for some   
response. It took long enough to come.  
  
"Hey Andrew, come in," his friend finally said once he   
opened the door.  
  
Andrew noticed right off that something was wrong. He   
hardly looked at him when he opened the door and at seven   
o'clock on a Thursday night he was in a pair of sweats. "Uh-oh.   
What happened now?" he asked following him inside.  
  
He didn't even bother to turn around. "I kissed her."  
  
"WAHOO!" Andrew sobered again when he noticed his   
friend wasn't sharing the same enthusiasm. "Serena right? You're   
not pulling in some other chick that I haven't approved of here are   
you?"  
  
Darien turned to him with a very annoyed look. "No."  
  
"So what's wrong with that?" he asked instead. He thought   
this should be good news.  
  
"She hasn't said five words to me since and I'm with her   
nine hours a day!" In frustration he threw a pillow from one end of   
his couch to the other and flopped down on it.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I don't even know what I was thinking! Actually, no, I do   
know what I was thinking, I was thinking of those beautiful eyes   
and how frightened they looked because of the storm. I was   
thinking how well she always fit into my arms. I was thinking   
about how her hair felt and what it smelled like." He sighed and   
raised a hand to rub at the spot on his brow. "I gave her a little   
peck on the forehead to tell her everything would be OK, and she   
looked up at me with those eyes again and… I lost it."  
  
Andrew sat down on the coffee table in front of him.   
"Define 'lost it.'"  
  
"Lost it! Let my brain waltz right out of my head! Opened   
up my heart and said 'here, screw with my life as much as you   
want to!' How else do you want me to define it? I KISSED her!   
And this wasn't just a friendly 'Oops! missed your check' sort of   
thing. This was a full-blown 'if you were an ice cream Sunday I'd   
be hot fudge!' Do you see my point in here somewhere?"  
  
"You know, you tend to get increasingly sarcastic when   
you're upset about something."  
  
"I am not UPSET!"  
  
Andrew just stared back at him with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"I'm not upset," he said much more convincingly. "I'm   
frustrated with myself for being so stupid. And I'm confused to no   
extent. And I'm… Oh I'm sorry this ever happened!" He leaned   
over putting his face in his hands dejectedly.  
  
Andrew sat there for a minute watching him. "Are you?"   
he asked quietly hoping he was right. Darien looked up at him   
confused. "Are you really sorry or is this actually what you   
want?"  
  
"How could I possibly want this?"  
  
"Not this, Darien. Her. I think you have a lot more   
feelings for her than maybe even you know. I think you have to let   
yourself know what you really do feel for her," he coaxed.  
  
"I've been trying to do that since this happened."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And I don't know."  
  
He sat there and looked at him for a moment. "Then let's   
do it this way. Add up every emotion you felt when you kissed her   
and see what you get."  
  
"What?"  
  
He nodded, "I'm serious. You take a good long listen to   
those feelings. Not the ones you have now. Those feelings! And   
now you sit here and tell me what they tell you because those are   
the only emotions that mean anything."  
  
He purposefully stopped and stared back at him until   
Darien turned away, his eyes glassing over slightly. He remained   
stationary for what seemed like forever to Andrew but in his own   
mind he had to be reliving everything those few minutes with her   
had left imprinted on his heart. Slowly he closed his eyes still not   
turning towards him but he knew he had his answer.  
  
"I'm right aren't I? You've fallen in love with her."  
  
Without opening his eyes he nodded his head slightly.   
"And I really hate it when you're right."  
  
  
Friday. Why was this week going so slow?  
  
The silence stretching between Serena and Darien was   
nearly deafening. Both wanted to say what they felt but neither   
knew how. And neither was sure how the other would react.   
Nothing seemed to bridge that gap between them and it was   
starting to truly worry her.  
  
Romola was sitting at her desk watching the younger girl   
aimlessly searching through the files that she was placing gingerly   
into their respective folders for quick referencing later. Usually   
she didn't see either of them in her office until the end of the day   
when they would normally enter together, file away their results,   
and say goodbye before heading out the door together.  
  
Now it seemed that both of them were simply looking for   
an excuse not to be in the same room together for too long. She   
began to wonder what they did say when they had no reasons to   
excuse themselves from each other's company.  
  
Serena slowly finished her filing, double-checked that she   
had put them all in the correct slot, and then carefully closed the   
cabinet gently but made no move to leave the room. Romola   
simply sat there and waited for her to say what was on her mind.  
  
She didn't wait long. "Romola, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Well, sure dear. What is it?" she asked as Serena   
wondered over to look out her window. She leaned her head   
against the glass. "How did you and Dr. Benton fall in love?" It   
was a simply stated question but the answer didn't come easy.  
  
Romola leaned back in her chair and regarded the girl   
before her. Serena for her part continued her unseeing stare out the   
window. But thinking back she laughed despite herself, "It wasn't   
easy, that I can tell you."  
  
The younger girl finally turned to regard her. "Really?"  
  
"Yes," she smiled wistfully. "We met in college. We were   
taking a Calculus class together. We met and, well, something just   
kind of popped."  
  
"It happened that fast?" she said in awe.  
  
Romola flashed her a devilish little smile. "No, that was   
just the beginning. The beginning of something I never imagined."   
Serena, interested now, came over to sit on her desk.  
  
"You see," she continued, "we were both dating other   
people at the time. Norman and I were just friends, although our   
significant others at the time didn't happen to like that much." She   
smiled at the younger girl. "Norman and I would spend an hour or   
so together doing Calc. homework almost every day, and we   
usually seemed a little… on the flirtatious side around each other."  
  
Serena giggled at her choice of words but didn't interrupt.   
"Well, the semester ended and so did our excuse to get together.   
We made various excuses to see each other at least once a week.   
Which infuriated my beau to the extent that he finally told me to   
choose between them once and for all."  
  
"And you chose Norman," she said with all the air of a   
soap opera.  
  
"No, I chose Richard."  
  
"What?"  
  
She laughed again at the other's shocked expression. "Yes,   
I chose my old boyfriend. You have to remember that Norman   
was still dating someone else and we were just friends."  
  
"So what happened?"  
  
"I told him about Richard's protests and we leveled off   
quite a bit, although we still snuck out every now and then." She   
gave her a wink. "Well, a little time past and I decided I was sick   
of Richard. We were springing into more and more arguments and   
in all truth I resented him. We finally split up for good about two   
weeks before the end of school. I spent the whole summer gorging   
out on chocolate-chip ice cream, but by the next year I was ready   
for romance! So guess who I smashed into the first week."  
  
"Norman!"  
  
She laughed at Serena's enthusiasm. "Exactly. Well, we   
got to talking, and talking some more. Come to find out that his   
girlfriend had left over the summer too. And with no one to stop   
us we resumed right where we left off."  
  
"Still being friends?"  
  
"Yes, that's all we expected to be. Of course," she   
chuckled, "that lasted about a month."  
  
Serena laughed back. "What happened then?"  
  
She sighed, "He sent me a dozen roses with a note that only   
read 'Will you go out with me?' Needless to say, I said yes. What   
made him ask me then or that way I don't know to this day. But   
that night he took me out and swept me off my feet. I haven't   
looked back since," she finished.  
  
Serena giggled and walked back to the window. "It really   
sounds like the two of you were meant to be together."  
  
"I think so, yes," she replied. "What brings this up?"  
  
Serena was silent a moment as she stared out the window.   
"Love seems so simple for some people and so hard for others."  
  
"Yes, it can be that way."  
  
"How did you know that you loved him? Not as a friend or   
a boyfriend, but really loved him?"  
  
Romola was silent a while before answering. "It was his   
kiss, the way I felt when he held me."  
  
"Safe, warm, protected… loved," she listed without turning   
around.  
  
"Yes," she was a bit surprised. "Serena, what is all of this   
about?" she asked gently.  
  
"Darien," was her only answer.  
  
Silence hung for a moment. "Did something happen?"  
  
Serena closed her eyes against the harsh sunlight. "Yes."  
  
Romola waited for more but it didn't come and she   
believed she knew what she was referring to. "I see." She   
remained thoughtful for a minute. "And is this what you feel when   
you're with him? Safe and loved?"  
  
"I feel safe and cared for, yes. But I've always felt that   
way in his arms." She sighed and opened her eyes again. "I've   
felt it for literally years."  
  
Romola smiled at the youth again. "How did the two of   
you meet?"  
  
Serena laughed and turned to face her, leaning back against   
the glass. "I hit him with a test paper."  
  
"What?"  
  
Still laughing she stared off into space with memory. "I   
was in eighth grade, fourteen, and a miserable excuse for a student.   
I had better things to do with my time then study boring school   
subjects. An attitude I still have by the way." She giggled at   
herself.  
  
"Anyway, I totally flunked this math test, right. I still   
remember that stupid thing too. I got a thirty on it!" Romola's   
mouth dropped open. *Thirty!?* "So I knew Mom was going to   
short a fuse, so when I was walking home I got so frustrated over it   
I crumpled it up and threw it away. Then of course, Wham!   
Ended up hitting him right on the head."  
  
Romola laughed uncontrollably. That was not the meeting   
she had envisioned, but it fit.  
  
"'Ow, watch it Meatball Head.' Those were the first words   
he ever said to me. Of course I went into a total fit about him   
calling me that. It only made matters worse when he picked up my   
test and saw what I got. 'Are you stupid, or just incredibly lazy?'   
Oh I could have killed him!" Serena humphed and crossed her   
arms in front of her chest as if she was still mad about it.  
  
Romola finally swallowed her laughter. "What a start."  
  
"Yeah. The perfect beginning. We hated each other! Or at   
least I hated him. He just found me to be a rather amusing object   
to torment if you ask me. But of course we kept running into each   
other, literally, and I came to find out that he was a friend of   
Andrew's."  
  
She gave her a confused look but didn't interrupt.   
"Andrew is Darien's best friend since like forever. He worked at   
the arcade that I normally hung out in, and he was totally hot! Oh,   
I had such a huge crush on him! Anyway, Andrew knew both of   
us and he did his best to try and get us to be at least civil to each   
other. It never worked. We just went right on spouting insults and   
tripping into one another. That was until Andrew decided that he'd   
had enough of both of us."  
  
She burst into a round of giggles that Romola didn't quiet   
get. She stopped herself and walked over to sit on her desk again.  
  
"One night the two of us were going at each other's throats   
as usual. Some weather announcement said that we were in a   
storm warning or something, I don't remember. But we were like   
the only two non-employees in the place. Anyway, Andrew made   
up this goofy story about us needing to take shelter so he ushered   
us into the back room, arguing all the way, and said he'd be right   
back… He never came."  
  
"He left you two in there?"  
  
"Yep. After about twenty minutes we finally realized that   
no one else was coming with us. So we decided to leave… We   
didn't. Andrew had 'accidentally' locked the door behind him."  
  
Romola spurted into laughter at the image. "So how long   
did he leave you in there?"  
  
"About two hours, more or less," she grumbled. "But   
you've never been in that room. If a hurricane came through that   
back end would blow apart at first gust. It was cold and dark, and   
it leaked! I spent half my time avoiding the water drips and the   
other half avoiding Darien! Now keep in mind that I'm fourteen,   
wet, cold, and I didn't like the company I was keeping either."  
  
She nodded solemnly. "So what did you do?"  
  
"I wailed my eyes out! What else?"  
  
"I bet he appreciated that."  
  
"No he didn't. At first it was the pretty atypical Darien.   
'Calm down Meatball Head, you'll drown both of us!' It only   
made it worse. I flung insults at him and he returned them with   
equal frustration. So basically we sat there screaming at each other   
until I ran out of come-backs and his voice gave out."  
  
"So you sat there in miserable silence."  
  
"Oh it was anything but silent. I was sobbing my little eyes   
out and the wind was defining. Then it hit. The storm came in full   
force and I swore it was going to take the roof off! Darien in that   
unshakable nerve of his was perfectly calm through all of it. That   
only made it so much worse."  
  
She paused to laugh at herself staring at nothingness again.   
"He just sat there watching the lightning through the window. I   
mean, he was freaking me out as much as the storm was. But I   
was quickly losing it anyway. It finally came to one bolt of   
lightning. I screamed and ran to the door banging on it like a wild   
animal! I was terrified and couldn't see reason in anything."  
  
Romola placed a hand on her arm protectively. "I would   
have been the same way dear."  
  
"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Darien tried to calm me   
down and drug me away from the door. I was sobbing so much I   
didn't put up much of a fight. He finally gave up trying to talk to   
me and just sat there with me in the middle of the floor until the   
cold finally brought me back to my senses. I tried to stop crying   
and force myself to calm down. From what I know now he must   
have been watching me like a hawk. When I calmed down he took   
off his jacket and wrapped it around me. Not without a few   
protests though," she smiled.  
  
"He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and scooted me   
over to him, kicking and screaming I might add. 'Come on, I'm   
not going to bite,' he'd said. I didn't know if I believed him or not   
but after some debate I figured he was a lot better than my other   
options."  
  
She stopped thinking for a moment. "On second thought, I   
don't think I thought about it at all, I just grabbed onto him and I   
wasn't letting go. 'It'll pass,' was the only thing he said. Two   
little words and I'll never forget them."  
  
Romola regarded her carefully. Her eyes stayed unfocused   
and unblinking, her memories stealing the sparkle from them.   
"That was the first time I felt it," she whispered. "The first time I   
felt so safe and protected. Maybe it was just the situation, but I   
couldn't help but feel it."  
  
"What happened after that?" she asked trying to snap the   
girl out of her trance.  
  
It worked. "Oh, Andrew came back to find us a while later.   
He was apologizing all over the place for 'leaving' us in there. I   
don't think he ever knew what we went through, although Darien   
griped him out up one side and down the other! Somehow I don't   
think I even heard half of it."  
  
"So you ended up like you are now?"  
  
"Oh no way!" she gave her a comical look. "We carried on   
like we always had, but it was different. I guess we were softer to   
each other. Slowly it got to the point where I admitted I trusted   
him. To myself of course," she added hastily. "That was almost a   
year and half later."  
  
"Seriously?"  
  
She laughed at her thoughts. "Yep, the end of my freshman   
year. I had managed to fail my psychology course and I had to do   
make-up work during the summer break in order to pass. Darien   
and Andrew both helped me through it." She paused, "You know,   
that was the second time he hugged me."  
  
Romola smiled quietly. These two had a history a thousand   
years long! And only now did they begin to realize exactly what   
they've had. "And now it's come to this. …Serena, do you think   
you love him?"  
  
The other turned away slightly. "I don't know. The way   
people describe love to me I've loved him for years. But I don't   
think I'm ready to call it that."  
  
"But it's changed," she said for her.  
  
Serena closed her eyes a moment, fighting tears she could   
tell. "Yes, it's changed. He kissed me Romola! And it wasn't just   
a kiss, it was something I've never felt before. Something I   
wouldn't have thought possible. …Something I want more of.   
And it scares me."  
  
She paused quietly gathering herself again. "We've been   
very close for a long time, and we've had a few intimate moments   
here and there. But we've always kept it light. Friendly. But   
now…" her eyelids closed slowly and she clutched a hand to her   
heart. "It's moving too fast maybe. I… I'm not ready."  
  
Romola moved over and placed a hand over hers. "Have   
you told him that?"  
  
Serena looked back at her. "Tell him what? That I'm   
scared I'm falling in love with him?"  
  
  
*@}---*  
  
  
Serena paused looking out at the small river winding its   
way below the bridge she stood on. Darien stood behind her   
slightly seemingly watching the same thing. Neither had been   
hungry, for obvious reasons, and they had both admitted that   
afternoon that they needed to talk.  
  
But every time she thought she had her words worked out   
right those same emotions that haunted her sleep at night came   
back and choked her. She couldn't block out what she'd felt with   
his lips pressed to hers. She couldn't ignore what her heart told   
her… and she couldn't ignore the fact that she had walked away   
from him.  
  
*Oh Darien, I didn't mean to hurt you.* She had been   
trembling so badly when she'd pulled away from him that she   
didn't even know if she could walk. Not to mention that every   
piece of her screamed at her to stay in his arms. To let him steal   
away her lips again, but she couldn't have. A fear, real and   
intense, filled in her heart where she had just released all of her   
emotions to him.  
  
Why she truly didn't know. What that fear meant she   
couldn't even tell herself and she was afraid of saying that to him.  
  
But her silence, their completely hopeless silence was   
finally broken. Just not how she wanted it to be.  
  
"Serena, talk to me. Please."  
  
She tuned away from the bridge's view. She didn't know   
what to say; didn't know how to tell him what she felt.  
  
He looked at her for a moment before dropping his eyes.   
"I'm sorry," he whispered. She wanted to stop him, to just stop   
this from ever happening.  
  
He shook his head slightly. "I never wanted to put us   
through this… I'm sorry." He was completely honest and her   
heart melted. She stepped over and wrapped her arms around him,   
hugging him tightly. She couldn't do this to him. She couldn't let   
him blame himself.  
  
"Serena…" His voice failed him as he hugged her back.   
She simply held him, letting all of her emotions and thoughts slip   
back to the reasons why they were here. Why she felt like this   
when he held her and what she'd felt when he kissed her.  
  
"Darien," she looked up at him without informing her brain   
what she was doing. "What do you feel when I'm with you?   
When you hold me?"  
  
Her logical mind was shocked at her abruptness, but she   
didn't care. She was way past believing that any of this was   
logical on any level.  
  
Darien recovered from his surprise enough to mutter a,   
"What?"  
  
"Please, I need to know."  
  
"I… Uh, I…" He sighed and pressed her closer again. "I   
feel… protective. Like for some small amount of time you've   
been entrusted to me." He paused, working his words carefully.   
"But I also feel warm, supported… cared for. Like you always   
know me, the real me, and you're still here."  
  
Tears fell down her face without notice as she listened to   
his words.  
  
"Serena, I can't lose you." There was a waver in his voice   
that chilled her. "But you have to know," he swallowed, "that I   
love you… I truly do," he whispered into her hair. He held her   
close as though he was afraid she would run from him. Which   
might have been exactly what he was afraid of.  
  
Some irrational fear gripped at her heart. But why was she   
afraid? He loved her! Wasn't that what she wanted? Why   
couldn't she speak? Why couldn't she say those same little words?   
Why?!  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered and slipped his arms away from   
her. Every muscle in her body rebelled against being separated.   
"I-I'm just making this harder. I'm sorry Serena. I don't want to   
put you through this…" That same waver in his always sure voice   
startled her.  
  
She looked up at him with her tear stained face and saw the   
same look in his eyes. No tear had fallen yet, but then threatened   
just behind those dark eyes. Those eyes that stared into hers, so   
unsure and… afraid.  
  
Afraid. Scared. Real fear reflected back at her. And she   
couldn't bare it! Couldn't bare to see that fear or pain in him.   
What was she thinking? How could she just stand there and let   
him believe for one moment that she didn't love him back? How   
could she be so unsure?  
  
But she was.  
  
With a stifled cry she smashed herself back into him. He   
shakily wrapped his arms around her again. She sobbed in spite of   
herself. *Why?* she cried mentally. *Why can't I just say it?   
Why am I scared? I love him. I love him. I have to love him!*  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered again.  
  
"No!" She snapped her head up so fast it startled both of   
them. "No," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. Oh Darien, I want to say I   
love you so much but I'm so scared. I'm so unsure. I don't know   
why; I don't know why I can't just tell you how much I care, how   
much I do love you. But there is just some little fear that won't let   
me…"  
  
She trailed off unable to put words to what she held inside.   
If he hadn't been holding her she would have collapsed; her legs   
refused to support her. He pressed her closer and didn't, or   
couldn't, say anything.  
  
She slowly let her sobs subside. She knew he was waiting   
for her to calm down before saying anything farther. And she was   
afraid of what he would say.  
  
"Serena," she made herself look at him. The late afternoon   
light was fading and the shadows were stretching longer, but his   
eyes were the color of midnight. "I never meant to put you   
through this." He reached up to brush away some of her tear   
stains, and he bent down to kiss her forehead lightly. It was so   
simple but it meant so much to her. It meant he forgave her for   
being so indecisive. It meant he still cared and he wouldn't leave   
her.  
  
It meant he'd wait for her.  
  
"I know you didn't," she whispered back. "I know. And   
I'm sorry Darien. I'm so sorry. I truly do—"  
  
"I understand."  
  
He always did.  
  
"How can I expect to put all of this on your shoulders   
without you being scared? I understand Serena, I do." He tipped   
her chin up a bit higher and smiled down at her. "Besides, I don't   
intend on giving up if you don't want me to."  
  
She broke into a huge smile and hugged him fiercely.   
"Don't you dare give up! Like it or not I am falling for you and I   
don't anticipate seeing daylight again."  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
She giggled into his shirt letting a last happy tear slip down   
her check. "Me too." And she meant it.  
  
  
______________  
@}--- The Chinese symbol for crisis includes the   
characters for both danger and opportunity.  
@}--- "The heart has its reasons which reason does not   
understand" -Blaise Pascal.  
  
  



	21. Chapter 20

  
"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN. "Is it over yet?" "Is it over yet?" "Is it over yet?" -  
NO!!  
But I promise, all those with funny bones out there, prepare   
for a tickle!  
  
  
Chapter 20  
*@}---*  
  
  
It had been a couple weeks since their talk and they had   
commenced actual dating. Serena had purposefully called every   
one of her friends home that weekend so she could tell them the   
good news one by one in person so that she had the satisfaction of   
seeing their faces. Molly and Melvin had heard it first and they   
had both looked at her like aliens had taken over her body,   
followed promptly by the casual 'I always knew this would   
happen' speech.  
  
Her other friends were little more receptive. Ami had stood   
shocked and completely transfixed with the news for a full ten   
minutes before congratulating her and wishing them the best,   
saying that Darien was a good choice for her. Lita and wrapped   
her up in a bone crushing hug and practically smothered her with   
questions of how it happened and when the wedding was. Mina's   
voice rose three octaves and she squealed nonstop continuously   
hugging her and then releasing her to ask a question before starting   
the episode all over again.  
  
Rei fainted.  
  
But all in all, she was very happy with the responses. They   
had both decided to inform Andrew and Rita together so they had   
invited the couple out for dinner one night and then broke the news   
in the middle of dessert. Andrew had been expecting it and smiled   
like a proud father giving away his son. Rita had dropped her   
spoon and nearly took a nose dive into her cream cake. Of course   
they left quickly after that so she could sufficiently berate her   
husband for not telling her when he'd had his conversation with   
Darien.  
  
Romola was a bit different. They had intended to say   
something to her together as well, but she had met them at the top   
of the stairs one morning with a huge grin. They had entered, late   
as normal, and they were laughing over something when they   
looked up to notice her standing there. 'Nice to see the two of you   
back to normal,' she'd said with a very mischievous glint in her   
eye. Serena had blushed lightly and told her that it wasn't exactly   
normal anymore. The older woman simply laughed and walked   
away saying that they should have started this a long time ago.  
  
Both of them were blushing slightly by the time they'd   
entered their office.  
  
Of course she hadn't quite gotten around to telling her   
parents yet, but it would come. Somehow she figured Mom   
already knew anyway and Dad… well Dad should be more   
receptive now. She hoped.  
  
But for tonight, she was going to be perfectly content to   
stay next to the man that she was falling in love with. Oh and she   
was falling fast. A fact she quietly admitted to him as they entered   
the movie theater.  
  
"A body falling in a straight motion has its greatest rate of   
speed just before it hits bottom."  
  
She looked up at him and blinked a few times. "What's   
that suppose to mean?"  
  
He smiled and shrugged, "Sorry, the physicist in me."  
  
"Yeah well, I get enough time with the physicist. I want   
the real you tonight," she gushed.  
  
"All yours Love," he said back.  
  
One heated argument, two tickets, two drinks, and one   
extra large bucket of popcorn later they were sitting in the movie   
that she had wanted to see. And she was monopolizing the   
popcorn on top of it.  
  
The, unbelievably cute, actor on the screen had begun to   
state his feelings for the heroin and she was all heart eyed despite   
herself.  
  
*'I can't believe I've kept these feelings from you   
Amanda.'*  
  
"I can't believe I'm sitting here," Darien said from beside   
her. She ignored him.  
  
*'I don't know how to tell you what I feel for you.'*  
  
"Then don't. It'll shorten the movie." She glared at him   
and took his arm sufficiently silencing him for a time.  
  
*'Oh, Amanda, I love you.'*  
  
"Of course I love you, I can see right down your dress," he   
said taking on a breathy accent.  
  
Just for that she elbowed him rather viciously and was   
rewarded with hearing him cough painfully. "Shhhhh!" she chided   
not turning from the screen.  
  
*'It's like my heart bleeds for you.'*  
  
"He's not the only one," he whispered rather loudly to her.   
She gave him a stern look to be quiet when she noticed another   
guy sitting a row in front and little right of them look back and   
give Darien a very empathetic look. The woman he was with   
didn't notice.  
  
She giggled to herself happily. It was just like they were a   
real couple. Already arguing and… wait, they were a real couple   
and they always argued anyway. This was taking some   
adjustment.  
  
*'Oh, John, I never hoped to dream that you would feel this   
way about me. I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you.'*  
  
"Why would you hope to dream something anyway?"  
  
*'I didn't think that you could possibly love me back.'*  
  
"Hey, with that dress, Toots, I'd tell you I loved you just   
about any way you wanted me to." Serena slowly turned to fix   
him with a death stare. He looked over at her and shrugged. "Just   
kidding." She turned back to the screen with a low growl in the   
back of her throat.  
  
*'Oh, Amanda.'*  
  
*'Oh, John.'*  
  
"Oh, brother."  
  
"Oh, shut up!" she said in a loud whisper. This time she   
noticed the woman sitting a row in front of them and little to the   
right, turn around and give her an empathetic look. The man she   
was with didn't notice.  
  
*Smooch, smack smack, kiss kiss, slurp.*  
  
"Look, it's a Hoover commercial."  
  
OK, now that one she laughed at.  
  
*BANG! 'Where is he Amanda? I know you're hiding   
him!'*  
  
"Enter Ken Tsukino."  
  
She hit him in the arm.  
  
*'Daddy! Daddy, what do you mean? Hiding who?'*  
  
"That lousy boyfriend you've had stashed under the bed for   
a month."  
  
*'You know who, Amanda. They've told us that he's not   
to be trusted. Where is he?!'*  
  
"He went out for Chinese food. If you hurry you can have   
him bring you back a fortune cookie!"  
  
*'Daddy, I don't know what you're talking about. John   
hasn't been here. I don't know where he is.'*  
  
"But by the way, don't check the closet."  
  
That growl in the back of her throat was getting louder.  
  
*'Don't lie to me!'*  
  
"I brought you into this world I can take you out of it."  
  
*'Daddy please, you're hurting me.'*  
  
"If I were your father I'd smack you too. And put some   
clothes on!"  
  
"DAR-I-EN!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh!" she snarled leaning as far way from him as her seat   
would allow.  
  
*'Tell me! Where is he!' WHACK! Thud.*  
  
"Yeah, all right. I've felt like clubbing one of you over the   
head with a blunt object like that all night." Serena hid her face in   
her hand and moved over a seat. "Serena?"  
  
"I don't believe you," she hissed.  
  
"What?"  
  
The movie ended, finally, and she was fuming.  
  
"I don't believe you!"  
  
"I don't believe I watched that," he said not the least bit   
interested in her tantrum.  
  
"You didn't! You just sat there and talked through it."  
  
"I know. And somehow, I think mine sounded better."  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest and walked quickly   
ahead of him to his car. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that   
same couple turn to give them looks. They were obviously   
veterans at this. "I still can't believe you ruined a perfectly good   
movie."  
  
"It was ruined before I got here. Besides the best part was   
when he got blown up in that lab thing, of course how some   
reporter guy just happens to get into a place like that we'll never   
know."  
  
She stopped and turned to look at him. "I liked it."  
  
"You would," he said stepping around her towards the car.  
  
"And what is that suppose to mean?" she asked extremely   
agitated with him. Why was she dating him again?  
  
"It was a chick flick. Which basically means that is was   
dumb, boring, and mushy," he didn't pause as he got out his keys.  
  
She stared after him like they didn't come from the same   
planet. "I was right," she said quietly, a memory just now hitting   
her. He finally turned to regard her. "You do have the romantic   
sense of a dictionary."  
  
He looked at her confused for a moment. "A dictionary?"  
  
"Yes," she nodded perfectly serious and continued her trek.  
  
"I do not," he said finally coming to grips with what she'd   
said.  
  
She simply continued walking.  
  
"I can be perfectly romantic when I want to be," he said   
walking behind her again.  
  
She continued walking.  
  
"Granted, if that ball of hormones was what you consider   
romance, then we may have a problem."  
  
She kept walking.  
  
"Of course, you've never seen me be romantic."  
  
She stopped walking.  
  
He stood there with a very dangerous glint is his eye. One   
that she knew not to trifle with… But why not? "Well, I hope I   
haven't or I'd have to say I got stuck with a total dud for a   
boyfriend."  
  
He smiled evilly and just stood there.  
  
"So? Are you ever going to try this out or not?" she asked   
tapping her foot.  
  
He just stood there.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"This might be fun," he mumbled.  
  
"Yeah, it might be fun for my significant other to show me   
some real affection," she said only half kidding. Two weeks and   
she could count the number of times he'd kissed her. That was if   
those slight brushes could be considered kisses. And lets face it,   
she still blushed when she thought of their first kiss.  
  
"Am I not being affectionate enough to you Love," he   
asked lightly, coming up and placing a hand under her chin.  
  
"Not nearly enough," she mumbled staring back up at him.   
Oh how did he do this?  
  
But to her surprise, he smiled. "Good."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think I'll let you suffer. A dictionary!" he added   
indignantly heading for the car.  
  
Her mind registered that his hand wasn't under her chin   
anymore faster than it did the words he'd said. "What?"  
  
He unlocked his door mumbling something all the way. He   
didn't even hold her door for her like he had usually done even   
before they were dating.  
  
A bit peeved, she went up, opened her door, got in, and   
slammed it.  
  
"Something wrong Meatball Head?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You!"  
  
He blinked at her. "What did I do?"  
  
"Nothing! Like normal," she muttered turning away from   
him.  
  
She felt his hand come up and turn her chin to look at him   
again. He was smiling but that spark was still glowing in his eyes.   
"That's just me be unromantic," he said leaning over and gently   
brushing her lips again. But it wasn't the deep, passionate kiss that   
she wanted so badly.  
  
He pulled away again before she could pull him closer. "Is   
there a romantic bone in your body?" she asked warily.  
  
"Yes," he said smiling and kissed her—lightly—again.   
"Just let me prove it."  
  
  
Friday night. Seven o'clock. Darien's apartment. Totally   
critical demeanor. *Let's just see what my dear love calls   
romantic.*  
  
Serena had started her appraisal of the their night by giving   
Darien a complete look over. Definitely cute, but nothing out of   
the ordinary. Although she swore he was wearing just a bit more   
after-shave. She'd never known him to wear cologne before. He   
wore a very simple pair of slacks, and a black shirt. Nothing fancy   
all right.  
  
He had said that in a week's time he could have their   
evening plotted out very nicely, which she assumed meant that he   
would have everything down to the details ready for her. He was   
always such a perfectionist.  
  
But he had shown up on her doorstep with a single red rose   
in hand. And she had to admit she was looking forward to   
enjoying this. He had brought her to his apartment and ushered her   
inside and she would have to admit that she was impressed.   
"Where did you get the lighting?" she asked glancing at the two   
small lamps placed strategically in different corners and set to   
produce a muted glow.  
  
"I'm resourceful."  
  
She giggled as he wrapped her in a hug backwards and   
placed a light kiss on her neck. But unwrapping her he took her   
hand and led her over to the table he had set up for dinner. "You   
mean to tell me that you actually cooked?"  
  
"Yes. Believe it or not I do know how to cook when the   
mood strikes me."  
  
"I think I'll wait 'till the taste test to believe it."  
  
"Fine," he snipped as she sat down by the table.  
  
She laughed at him as he walked into the kitchen to get   
something. She roamed a critical eye over the table's lay out.   
Two candles stood off to each side, their wax tinted a deep blue.   
Odd, she thought, why blue? But she had to admit that they looked   
very nice sitting next to the centerpiece of roses. She leaned over   
admiring the flowers. Red roses looked back at her off set by   
small white babies-breath. It was beautiful. And expensive.  
  
He returned with a lighter and a bottle of wine.   
Purposefully he leaned over her to light the candles, pecking a light   
kiss on her check in the process. But she was looking very   
critically at the bottle he had set down for a moment. "Wine?" she   
asked a bit oddly.  
  
He laughed and knelt down on the floor beside her for a   
moment. "Actually, it's sparkling grape juice. I figured you were   
bad enough normally, I don't even what to know what you're like   
when you're drunk."  
  
She gave him a sour look and leaned over to kiss him fully.   
"Well, it's nice to know you're looking out for me."  
  
"I always will," he mumbled warmly and kissed her again   
before beginning to pour the red liquid.  
  
She watched him carefully, studying his movements. For   
someone that didn't get much practice, he was certainly acting   
very proficient at this. "So this is your idea of romantic."  
  
He chuckled merrily. Somehow she thought he was   
enjoying this. "I think a lot of things can be romantic. But this   
was the best cliché I could think of so I went with it. Besides," he   
said taking her chin in his hand, "don't tell me you're bored   
already."  
  
She smiled at him, "I don't recall ever being bored with   
you around."  
  
"Good," he mumbled kissing the tip of her nose lightly,   
"then be quiet and let this dictionary try his hand at this."  
  
She giggled and let him slip back to the kitchen. She   
sighed and leaned down on the table. He was incredibly sweet to   
her and she shouldn't have ever said that. After all, their normal   
routine before had been the rival to most married couple's love   
lives anyway. It was just the little things he did that always kept   
reminding her that he cared so much for her.  
  
The way he would absently play with her hair. Or the way   
he would sometimes space out halfway through a conversation just   
staring at her. The way he was always worried about her when   
they were outside on a cold night. The glances from him that she   
caught every now and then. It all meant that he loved her, and she   
was falling for him so fast sometimes it still scared her. But he   
was very gentle, and he was moving very slowly. He would never   
push her, but she was at a point where she was ready to be pushed   
just a little.  
  
Her thoughts were cut short as he walked in and placed a   
plate in front of her and one for him as well. But as he passed by   
the stereo he hit the play button. A soft melody could be heard   
faintly. And she giggled at it. "You have to be the only person I   
know that has a supply of elevator music."  
  
"It's classical music, and harpsichord at that, and I have   
quite a collection yes."  
  
She continued laughing at him and before crossing his legs   
under him to sit down he leaned over the table to nab a kiss from   
her, and she wasn't complaining any. He pulled away slightly and   
she looked up into his eyes. "How do two perfect opposites fall for   
each other like this?" she asked quietly.  
  
"They were made for each other," he answered, his lips   
brushing hers very lightly as he spoke. She couldn't stand that   
fluttering feel anymore and kissed him, purposefully making it   
long and deep. And she was discovering a passion behind him.  
  
They finally broke apart and he brushed his nose against   
hers as he moved back to sit down. She giggled at the move and   
involuntarily brought her hand to her nose. He smiled at her   
enjoying the little blush on her checks. He could be so sweet.  
  
But the conversation turned lighter and she was quickly lost   
in her food. In all truth she didn't pause to wonder what it was   
called or how he'd made it. She just knew it was delicious! "Oh   
yumminess! You know, I think I could get use to this kind of   
treatment."  
  
He chuckled at her and she noticed that he really hadn't   
eaten much. Looking up curiously he shrugged. "I ate half of it   
when I made it."  
  
She laughed at him and sipped at her drink. "You know,   
this stuff is really good."  
  
"I'll agree to that."  
  
"No way! We agreed on something. No, take it back.   
You'll jinx us both!"  
  
He laughed at her and she had to laugh along with him. So   
what if they had a few minor problems with agreeing? They were   
of one heart when it counted.  
  
"So, my dear romance victim, what else is on tap for   
tonight?"  
  
He leaned back with a hand on the floor for support. "I   
don't know. I thought maybe we'd just wing it from here."  
  
"Spontaneous? I didn't think you had it in you."  
  
He smiled evilly. "There are a few things in me that you   
don't know about."  
  
"Really?" she asked with the same tone of voice. She   
crawled around the low table until she was right next to him.   
Silently she leaned over and blew each of the candles out with as   
much drama as she could. Looking back to him she saw a very   
interested gleam in his eyes and smiled at it. This was not what he   
had been expecting she was sure. "Then how do I figure out the   
rest of you?"  
  
He smiled at her and she wrapped her arms around his neck   
sufficiently holding him still. With her arms she slowly leaned   
him over to meet her lips. He didn't struggle any against her   
advances, and she had to admit that she should have tried this a   
long time ago.  
  
It took a while but they separated again, extremely   
breathless. He chuckled at her and she looked back into his eyes.   
"And here I thought you'd slap me if I moved this too fast."  
  
She smiled and leaned up to peck another kiss on him. He   
then promptly stood up and offered his hand to help her up too.   
She looked at him curiously, "What's this?"  
  
He smiled down at her. "I would very much like a dance   
with this angel that I seem to have caught all alone in my   
apartment."  
  
She laughed at his words and let him help her up. He could   
certainly be poetic from time to time. He walked over and turned   
up the stereo a bit. And actually that old stuff was growing on her.   
As long as she didn't hear it twelve hours a day she could handle   
some culture.  
  
He pulled her into a tight embrace and they began a slow   
circling. Talk was kept light and their circles were broken by a   
periodic kiss that would leave them motionless despite themselves.   
And Serena remained curled in his arms very content to just be   
with him. She had stopped attempting to name the emotions   
floating through her, and her mind wasn't the least bit interested   
with labels.  
  
All it wanted was Him. He snuggled his chin into her hair   
and held her close pecking a kiss on the top of her head again with   
really no cause for it. She smiled to herself. Somewhere in her   
heart she felt a strong pull. "You really are trying to steal that last   
piece of my heart, aren't you?"  
  
There was a slight pause as he stopped her and lifted her   
chin to look at him. "No," he said gently. "I can't steal that from   
you. It has to be given freely."  
  
She stared up into his blue eyes knowing that his words   
were true. But at the same time she knew that he already had that   
last piece. Maybe he always did.  
  
"Darien…" She didn't know what she wanted to say, but   
she had to say something. She had to tell him what she felt inside.   
And there was only one thing that her heart told her to say. "I love   
you."  
  
Despite the lack of warning that those words were coming,   
he seemed to absorb his shock rather quickly and smiled down at   
her. He pulled her back into a fierce hug and just held her close a   
moment before chuckling lightly. "Well, if I'd known that this   
was all it took to make you fall in love with me I would have done   
this a long time ago."  
  
She snuggled into his chest as far as she could. "Would   
you have?"  
  
He laughed again, "Yeah, say like five years ago."  
  
She looked up smiling at him thinking what it would have   
been like to have fallen for him when they'd first met. Of course,   
then she remembered what they were like that long back. "I didn't   
even like you five years ago."  
  
"Oh," he said smiling slightly. "Then for argument's sake,   
can we just make up for lost time?"  
  
Her answer was in her kiss. And his kiss echoed back   
every emotion she felt and in her heart. She knew it was a thank   
you for finally loving him back.  
  
Suddenly everything just felt right to her. The world could   
have been obliterated right then and there and she wouldn't have   
cared. In fact if she never came out of this kiss she would be   
perfectly happy. All she wanted was to stay forever in his arms.   
To always be held like this. To always feel her heart melt inside of   
her. To always have him here with her.  
  
To always just be in love with him.  
  
He kissed her again sweetly, as though he was afraid that if   
he pressed too hard he would wake them from a dream. And if this   
was a dream she wanted to hibernate 'till she was dead!  
  
That thought brought a chuckle out of her and she had to   
break away from his lips. He looked down at her confused.   
"What's so funny?"  
  
She chuckled looking back at him. "Pinch me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Pinch me."  
  
He did.  
  
"Ow! I didn't mean really!"  
  
He shrugged innocently. "I just did what you asked. I'm   
not a mind reader."  
  
She giggled and wrapped her arms more tightly around his   
neck. "Read this." She pulled him back down to her and trapped   
his lips against hers once again. *Oh…*  
  
That was her last thought as her world was lost beneath her   
again. He pressed her closer and kept her there. And this time she   
wasn't letting go for anything.  
  
Eventually they had come back to orbit at least, but   
somehow she didn't suspect that she would be touching down for a   
long, long time. Once they found themselves dancing around to   
non-existent music, since the CD had run itself out, they had   
promptly sprouted in another of their famous arguments. After   
which they had found themselves clearing the table and putting his   
apartment back into order. Why it seemed like such an appropriate   
use of their time together she didn't know. She didn't even clean   
her own apartment let alone someone else's. But between cuddles   
it occupied their time.  
  
They had finished the last of the dishes and collapsed on   
the couch giggling over how much water they'd ended up spraying   
on each other. Of course the argument of the hour had been   
whether or not she was doing a good enough job at washing. Yes,   
having a boyfriend perfectionist had its drawbacks.  
  
But snuggled in his arms watching—OK , not watching—  
some goofy movie, she was more than happy with her   
surroundings. They laid there together the same way they always   
used to, and he was still playing with her hair. The difference   
being that this time her lips still tingled lightly from his touch. She   
smiled to herself, sighing contentedly. "Darien?" she asked   
thinking of something.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Can we still get married next April?" She popped up to lie   
on his chest to see his reaction.  
  
"I don't know. We've always moved very slowly. I don't   
know if we want to jinx ourselves with this," he said laughing.  
  
She giggled too. "Well, I hope you don't plan to make me   
wait another five years for you. You'll kill me!"  
  
He smiled down at her. "Me too. April, that gives us about   
a year to get use to this." He paused thoughtfully, "Why not?"  
  
She laughed playfully and stretched up to kiss his chin,   
which lying like that was the only thing she could reach. "Thanks   
Muffin."  
  
He laughed at her and brushed her bangs back. "Of course   
that has to be the most unromantic proposal I've ever heard of."  
  
"Yeah, like you haven't written the book on how to be   
unromantic," she sniffed.  
  
He picked that moment to sit up, sufficiently spilling her   
off of him. "Little ingrate! I am perfectly romantic." He sat up   
and she was still sprawled out and beginning to get stuck between   
the couch's back and the cushions.  
  
"You are not!" she yelled indignantly, still trying to stop   
the sofa from eating her.  
  
"Am too," he said watching her struggle.  
  
"Are not!" she said leaning up on an elbow.  
  
"Am too," he said amused with her.  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too."  
  
She leaned up and placed her arms around his neck and   
lowered him back down with her. "Oh shut up," she said lightly,   
maneuvering his lips to hers.  
  
Somehow she believed she was going to like winning   
arguments this way.  
  
  
_____________  
@}--- "Eternity is the ocean; time is the wave" –Maurice   
Maeterlinck.  
  
  
The End!!  
  
Copyright August 4, 1999  
  
AN. It's done, it's done, it's really, really done! OK, so   
I'm thinking about an epilogue, but I want FEEDBACK before I   
do that. Oh, and by the way, E-MAIL ME. Even goddesses get   
lonely when no one writes. Lousy devoted subjects anyway.  
  
Oh well. Here are a few last thoughts for you. But until we   
meet outside of eternity's shores God bless and keep you.  
  
Love,  
Isis  
  
_____________  
@}--- "I think I did pretty well considering I started out   
with nothing but a bunch of blank paper" -Steve Martin.  
  
  



	22. Epilogue

"For Argument's Sake."  
By: Isis @}---  
isis@moonkingdom.com  
Rated G.  
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!  
AN: Hi again! So far I've gotten lots of good feedback for   
this so this is the epilogue as promised. Thanks sooooo much to   
everyone that has e-mailed me! I really enjoy hearing about what   
you think of it, besides I love mail!!   
  
  
Epilogue  
@}---  
  
  
"Um… daddy?"  
  
Ken Tsukino crumbled his paper into his lap and looked up   
at Serena. "I know that tone all too well young lady. What's   
wrong now?"  
  
"I didn't say anything was wrong!" She hurriedly sat down   
next to him on the sofa. "You've been suspicious of me all night   
just because I dropped by for dinner unannounced. Does that   
automatically mean something's wrong?" She took his arm and   
wrapped hers inside of it comfortably.  
  
"No, it doesn't but this 'um… daddy' thing along with you   
'wanting' to help your mother with dishes is a good sign of it."   
Her father looked down at her worriedly. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh dad, it's nothing like that!" Serena snuggled in closer   
to her father and braced herself. "It's just that… well, you know   
all the times that I kept telling you Darien was just a friend and   
all… well…"  
  
"Oh no, Serena…" He looked down at her half shocked   
and half terrified. "We talked about this!"  
  
"Whoa! Dad, it's nothing like that! Geesh, don't blow a   
head gasket." She patted her father's hand until his breathing   
returned to normal. "It's just that, well… it's changed is all.   
Darien and I are… dating now," she added very quietly to her lap.  
  
"What! When did this happen? Why didn't you tell us?!"   
After a few minutes of pacing about the room in a fit of temper he   
settled back down next to his daughter. "I always knew this would   
happen. I was just waiting." He paused and looked over at her.   
"How serious are you?"  
  
Serena looked up at him quietly a minute. "Very?" she   
mumbled. "But not like that!" she added hurriedly to cut off that   
death-look her he gave her. She sighed as her father simply let her   
explain herself. "It's happened kind of fast, and well, this is new   
for us too." Carefully she spilled out what had happened the last   
few weeks. She only hoped that he would realize that this was   
right, that he would see what she saw as the perfect completion to   
this relationship. "I guess I should have come to you sooner,   
but…"  
  
She stopped, not knowing what else to say. Sure her father   
was overprotective of her, but surly he'd understand what they   
meant to each other. Surly he would…  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
It was the simplest question he could have asked, yet it was   
a question that tipped her chin up to look at him and brought tears   
to her eyes. It was a question that told her that only one thing truly   
mattered to him. It was a question she knew she could answer.   
"Yes."  
  
"And he loves you too?" She nodded immediately, unable   
to speak through trembling lips. He simply smiled down at her a   
bit and wrapped his arm around his little girl and scooted her closer   
to him. "Well, then I guess I'd better get use to this idea huh?" he   
mumbled. "Because if I don't your mother over there won't speak   
to me for a year."  
  
She sniffed slightly and looked up to see her mother   
standing in the living room's doorway also with tears in her eyes.   
Serena had told her mother earlier and had been all but forced in to   
tell her father as well. Apparently Ilene knew her husband might   
need to be persuaded into this too.  
  
Knowing that she'd been caught though, she came into the   
room and sat down beside her daughter, placing an arm around her   
as well. "That's right, I think these two really were meant to be   
together. I have for a while now. They'll be happy…" She trailed   
off as she took Serena's chin in her hand. "He'll make you a good   
husband."  
  
"HUSBAND! Who said anything about that! And you   
think that you'll just run off, fall in love with a guy and then waltz   
down the aisle!! How much do you really know—"  
  
"Ken! Honey, hush! Serena was getting to that—"  
  
"—about the man!! I mean they've been dating three   
weeks!!"  
  
"Oh now, stop it! You weren't any different—"  
  
Serena quietly slipped out of the room and headed for the   
door. And here she thought she'd been doing so good with him!   
Oh well, she'd come back later when they calmed down. *Poor   
Dad, he'll just never get over this!* She giggled merrily as she   
grabbed her coat and ran out the door yelling a "bye" over her   
shoulder.  
  
She heard a few vain attempts to stop her once her parents   
realized that she had slipped from the room, but she'd be long gone   
before they could reach the door. Hurriedly she rushed down the   
street towards a very familiar destination. Darien would be home   
sweating over what her parents said tonight. Might as well put him   
out of his misery!  
  
Serena giggled happily as she bounced down the blocks.   
She was engaged to the most wonderful man in the world and it   
was totally official now that her parents knew, and everything   
would be like happily ever after! OK, so her mother was much   
more receptive to the news than her father had been but they'd   
both come around soon enough. They'd have to! After all, they'll   
be having a new son-in-law!! Oh, and then grandkids and…  
  
She stopped walking in order to gaze into a wedding shop   
that she'd been passing by every day anymore. Dresses of all   
types and sizes hung within. Though the store was closed she   
could see with vivid detail all of the wedding things strung around.   
Veils were on the far corner, invitation printing stuff sat on the   
counter, guest books, candles, cake decorations… She sighed and   
leaned against the glass a moment just contemplating the future.   
Could this really be happening? Could she really be doing this?   
Could she honestly be this happy?  
  
Could she be any colder?! It was the middle of winter and   
she was standing around on street corners fantasizing over… her   
wedding! Serena giggled at herself again and continued her jog   
towards her "fiancée's" apartment. Oh, did that word just sound   
soooo good!!  
  
  
@}---  
  
  
"You know, I've never liked brown." Serena wondered   
aimlessly around the nearly deserted park. February had brought   
with it much milder temperatures and the ground had given way   
from frozen to squishy as it thawed. The creaks had begun to run   
again as ice still clung to their sides and small signs of life began to   
come back again. Tiny birds grouped over the park's bare trees   
and sought the berries left over from last year's blooms.  
  
"The plants will come back soon enough. Everything gets   
a fresh start." Darien had been rather solemn for most of the day,   
but there was an air of excitement in the still chilled breeze.  
  
"Well aren't we feeling poetic today?" she said turning to   
regard him. "I was beginning to think you drug me out here just to   
freeze to death."  
  
"That'd be one way to get rid of you," he mused as he   
wrapped her up in his arms to keep her warm. "Of course, then   
again, I don't want to get rid of you."  
  
She cooed a happy little note into his jacket and held on to   
him tightly. "Why are we here anyway?" she asked finally looking   
up at him.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I just seemed like a nice day for a   
walk," he mumbled taking her hand and leading her along the path.  
  
"Nice day? It's like twenty below! Besides, it could start   
snowing any time."  
  
"It's just a little cloudy, it'll make for a great sunset." He   
led her along to the small rose garden surrounded by trees near the   
back of the park. The bushes were brown and leafless; their stocks   
had been trimmed back for next year's growth and they stood like   
silent watchmen to this secluded little garden.  
  
"It's kind of depressing seeing them without any blooms   
isn't it?" she asked walking over to touch one of the shrubs. "Like   
they don't have any life to them."  
  
Somehow, Darien felt a small sinking feeling settle into his   
stomach, this wasn't going well. "They're only in their preparation   
stage. They have to save up their strength in order to start new."   
The speech was more to comfort himself than anything else but she   
nodded understandingly.  
  
"Kind of like they're saving up for something."  
  
"Yes," he mumbled walking up to embrace her back.   
"They start a new life each year."  
  
She giggled at the comment. "Wouldn't that be fun?" she   
asked tipping her chin to look up at him backwards. "Just start   
fresh every year. Be a whole new person!"  
  
"Maybe, but a person becomes something different every   
time there is a change in life."  
  
She hummed an agreement and snuggled into his embrace a   
bit farther. Darien found butterflies awakening in his stomach as   
the silence stretched on. He opened his mouth to say something   
when she let out a startled, "Oh!"  
  
"What?" he questioned looking around.  
  
"The sunset! You were right, look at it." He chucked into   
her hair and pecked a kiss on the top of her head as he looked into   
the western sky. "How does it get so many colors?"  
  
Darien smiled, "Well because of the nitrogen-oxygen mix   
in the upper atmosphere—"  
  
"Oh be quiet! You take all the fun out of everything with   
that scientific stuff. Isn't there anything that you can't explain?"  
  
He chuckled lightly and turned her around to face him in   
his arms. "I can't explain you."  
  
She glared up at him for a moment, blue eyes sparkling   
with the sinking sun. "I'm just carbon and water right?" she   
snipped at him before peeling out of his arms and walking away.  
  
"Not if you really aren't from this planet," he mumbled   
following after her.  
  
"Oh yes, I forgot, I'm from the moon! If you drug me out   
here just to make fun of me I'm going home," she sniffed, placing   
her arms over her chest.  
  
He laughed at the sight but again took her into his arms and   
nuzzled close to her ear. "I didn't drag you out here to annoy you.   
Actually I…"  
  
"Well you're doing a good job of it anyway."  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"  
  
"Of course what else is new? I've had to put up with this   
for so long I should be more than use to it! And still I'm walking   
around in the freezing cold loosing my health—"  
  
He covered her mouth over with one hand and leaned down   
to place a lingering kiss just behind her earlobe. He felt her   
snuggle back into him and he released her mouth. "That's not   
fair," she mumbled turning towards him. "Why do you always do   
this to me?"  
  
"Because I can never get you to be quiet," he said warmly   
as he lifted her chin to kiss her lightly.  
  
"Your hands are cold," she mumbled dreamily.  
  
"Sorry…" He kissed her again, deeper, to make up for it.   
The butterflies in his stomach had turned into a group of agitated   
swallows. "Serena…"  
  
"You have a habit of talking through the most opportune   
times," she chided softly as she stepped up on tiptoes to kiss him   
again.  
  
"I keep talking? You're the one not listening to me," he   
said a bit agitated with her.  
  
"Do not!"  
  
"Do to."  
  
"Do not! Besides, there is nothing that you could say here   
that you couldn't have said in my nice warm apartment," she   
huffed stepping back again.  
  
"I was hoping to make this a bit more romantic," he   
mumbled feeling very deflated.  
  
"Great, now your idea of romantic is to bring me out to   
freeze in the middle of a bunch of dead sticks. What dictionary   
entry did you find that one under?" Serena turned away from him   
crossing her arms in front of her in mock agitation.  
  
For some reason he couldn't name Darien smiled at the   
reference. "I found it under seclusion, as in being away from   
everyone else but you. And under togetherness, for just the two of   
us." He took a step closer to her. "I found it under happiness,   
which I always find with you. Under friendship, which describes   
our past." He slowly took another step closer to her even though   
she hadn't turned to face him. "I looked up love, which describes   
our present… and my feelings for you." He wrapped her up into   
his arms once more and leaned close to her. "I saw it under   
marriage, which is our future… But I thought of it especially   
under proposal, which is what I've been trying to say."  
  
He was rewarded with a small gasp from her as he held up   
the small item he had pulled from his pocket when he walked up to   
her. He couldn't see her eyes but he could see clearly the tears that   
dripped from her chin as she slowly reached up to take the ring   
from his hand. The heart shaped stone gleamed back at the two of   
them and the small circle of surrounding stones shown with eternal   
love.  
  
He smiled at the thought and held her tighter. "I know our   
engagement didn't get started off on the most romantic of notes. I   
just need to hear it again Serena." His voice dropped to a whisper   
spoken directly into her ear, "Will you marry me?"  
  
Silence responded to his question for a moment until she   
turned in his arms to look squarely up at him. Her tear-streaked   
face looked up at him and her eyes gleamed brighter than he had   
ever seen. Then, in a tiny voice, she whispered, "Yes."  
  
He broke out into a huge grin as she nodded again and   
again mouthing the word over and over without a sound. He   
leaded forward and kissed her deeply to still her lips. "I love you,   
Serena. I always will."   
  
"I love you too," she whispered as even more tears ran   
down her cheeks. "Oh, I love you too."  
  
He smiled and kissed her once more before pulling back   
just a bit and wiping at her still dripping eyes. She began to giggle   
as well at her own tears and took a coat sleeve to them. When he   
had dried her chin he pulled back a bit and taking her hands in his,   
found the ring that she had been holding numbly. Carefully he   
began to place it on her figure and was rewarded with hearing her   
gasp slightly. In the closing darkness he could see fresh tears start   
at the corners of her eyes as the ring…  
  
"Oops."  
  
"Oops? All this time and you don't know what ring size I   
wear!? I don't believe you!"  
  
"How was I supposed to know that you have fat fingers?"  
  
"I do not have fat fingers!!"  
  
"Do to."  
  
"Do not!"  
  
…  
  
_____________  
@}--- "By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll   
become happy; if you get a bad wife, you'll become a philosopher"   
-Socrates.  
  
  
AN: I am working on a second fan-fic, but don't expect it   
for a while. And I have to say that it will be much different from   
this one. But you'll have to wait and see what my twisted   
imagination comes up with!! giggle  



End file.
